A Prayer for Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
As Paul had continued past the prayer for unity and harmony he was teaching the christians in Rome that scripture had always pointed to God being the God of the Gentiles as well as the God of the Israelites. The verses immediately preceding this prayer quotes several old testament passages that point to this.
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing to your name.” Psalm 18:49
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” Deuteronomy 32:43
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” Psalm 117.1
“The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” Isaiah 11:1,10
Paul is pointing out these scriptures to prove that Jesus came for all men, not just for the Israelites. Jesus came to fulfill the law! And with the fulfillment of the law Jesus brought hope to all men. Paul concludes this section of his teaching with this prayer.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
I love this short little prayer. It packs a lot into just one little statement doesn’t it. First of all this is not talking about the joy we feel when we have had a good day or the peace we feel when everyone in our circle just seems to be getting along. We all like those days don’t we? But this is talking about the filling of joy and peace that can only come from God, from the God of hope. This is the joy and peace that sustains us even when the days aren’t so joyful and the people in our circle don’t seem to be living at peace with each other. If you are getting your joy and your peace from the God of hope then you can be the conduit of joy and peace to the people around you, even when they are not feeling so joyful and peaceful, and then your hope abounds as well. (At least that is where my simple minded brain took me as I studied.)
And couldn’t we all use a little hope? I love the thought that “by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Some situations and circumstances that come our way it is hard to see the conclusion on, isn’t it? And some situations and circumstances it is hard to feel joy and peace in the midst of them, isn’t it? That is what is so significant about this verse I think. Sometimes the only way to get the joy and the peace is to pray for it, and then believe for it, and then hope for it. Hope for the outcome, hope for the deliverance, but most of all hope to get more God, more filling of the Holy Spirit to endure whatever situation or circumstance is at hand.
My friends whatever you are going through right now, this is my prayer for you. That even in the midst of hard days and hard times……..
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in HOPE.” Romans 15:13
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