Our Hope is in the God of Hope
This Christmas week, I’ve been memorizing Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
It’s been a rough year in too many ways to count: political instability, the pandemic, social upheaval, economic uncertainty, unemployment, fires, bugs, and church closings. We need hope. The people we lead need hope. As pastors, ministry leaders, and dispensers of hope… we need hope!
Perhaps more than ever before, everyone is looking forward to the new year! No one wants to stay in 2020. ‘Good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.’ We may not have any idea what 2021 is going to deliver, but we’re all wishing that it’s going to be a whole lot better than 2020!
But hope isn’t just a wish. It’s a confident expectation. It’s the conviction:
- that God is good,
- that He’s got everything under control, and
- that He always keeps his promises.
Our God is the God of hope. He’s ‘the inspiration and fountain of hope’ (TPT). Our hope isn’t in a political party, a stimulus check, or the promise of a new vaccine. Our hope is in the God of hope… the ‘blessed controller of all things.’
As we put our trust in Him, the Holy Spirit fills us with ‘uncontainable joy and perfect peace’ (TPT), so that we can overflow with hope.
To put our hope in the God of hope is to relax in his abundant goodness and sovereign control.
So… breathe deep. Let go. Relax. God’s got this!