Romans 15:13 is a wonderful prayer that Paul wants every believer to experience: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
So far I haven’t come
across anyone saying, “I’m not concerned about having joy and peace and I don’t
want to abound in hope.” In fact, we all want and need these qualities, and yet
among us very few can reasonably claim to be filled with joy, peace and hope.
Here I would like to limit this article only to the vitality and need of hope leaving joy and peace for a separate thought.
While many see faith
and hope as synonyms but it is not. Faith is something that is built upon what
one has seen or heard (faith comes by hearing) in the past but hope is an expectation
of future realities. Without faith, there is no hope, and without hope there is
no true faith.
A Poem on Hope
Amidst unceasing prayer hope unveiling answer
Amidst vagrancy, hope eternal nest
Amidst earthly glory, hope unending wonder
Amidst earthly misery, hope heavenly rest
Amidst poverty, hope unfading asset
Amidst earthly achievements, hope upcoming Best
Amidst widened arms of darkness, hope divine breast
Amidst fiery darts, hope Lord’s final behest
Amidst failing endeavours, hope Christ abreast
Amidst fellow charlatans, hope eternal test
Only then our “hope” in Return of Christ has any value for its quest
You can notice hope is
used in verb form in every place. So hope not only for the return for Christ in the future but also for every facet of your life now, here, on the earth. Hope for everything else, basically, emerges from the hope in Christ's Return. And due
to the absence of this hope many seems to live a lukewarm dispirited Christians
life (nominals). This hope gives us purpose to strive for the purity and
assurance of future life. A Christian can still
profess him/herself and be called Christian while having no hope for anything
similar to non-believers. Our eternal life will not start in the future but has already began with new birth in Christ.
Every mankind has hope
of some sort. However, hope in human agency is the product of human mind but the
hope in divine is product of divine enablement (through Holy Spirit). That’s
why people who lack Holy Spirit also lack this hope. While they may have the
ultimate hope of Christ’s coming (everyone has that) but may lose hoping for
everything else, significantly, things pertinent for present life.
“…so that you will
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Such hope doesn’t come from nowhere
but is given by the power of the Holy Spirit. So yielding to Holy Spirit is the key for receiving/growing in the hope.
THUS HOPE IS AN ANCHOR FOR OUR LIFE IN CHRIST AS WE LIVE ON THIS EARTH WITH HUMAN WEAKNESSES.
◄ 1 John 3:3 ►And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.◄ Romans 8:24 ►For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?
Outcomes of Hope
(1) It gives us joy and
peace.
Romans 15:13 Now may
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:2 through whom
also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we
stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
(2) It gives us
protection.
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the
eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His
lovingkindness.
(3) It gives us
strength, courage, boldness.
Psalm 31:24 Be strong,
and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.
(4) It gives us
endurance, comfort, confidence in the face of death.
1 Thessalonians 4:13
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep,
that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.
(5) It gives us
confidence in ministry.
1 Timothy 4:10 For it
is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living
God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
Image Source: http://circleofdocs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/hope-hero.jpg
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