2021-09-23 “the God of hope”

Romans 15:13  “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

In this context, the word “hope” directs our often troubled and weary minds to the Sure Promises of the Lord “God” Almighty; the “God, that cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).  It is “hope” simply because it is before us in the future, not because there is any doubt of it.  This “hope” is also referred to as “the earnest expectation of the creature” (Romans 8:19) and “my earnest expectation and my hope” (Philippians 1:20).  This Blessed “hope” is inseparably tied to our God-given “faith” (Hebrews 11:1; 12:2); whereby, we “know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18); but we also know that, by our Lord’s grace and mercy, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) and “in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26).  Paul prayed, and so should we, that this Blessed “hope” will “fill” us “with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost”!  Oh, may our Merciful Lord so fill us with this Mighty “hope” that, in spite of the dreadful storms and trials of this present life, we will be filled “with all joy and peace in believing” His Holy Word!