Overflowing with Hope

 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.

— Romans 15:13

Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King,

Life, the enemy, and soul fatigue tend to steal these three things with great frequency: hope, joy, and peace. But I serve a God who is the God of hope and He has the power and the desire to fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in Him.

"As you trust in him..." That's the kicker. The hope, joy, and peace doesn't come so that I trust in Him. Hope, joy, and peace come as I trust in Him. They are a consequence and an outcome of placing my trust in a God I cannot see whose ways I do not understand but whose heart is absolutely for me. By choosing to trust my God, the God of hope, I can expect joy and peace to result.

The intended effect of being filled with all joy and peace is so that I might overflow with hope. So much hope will be in me that I won't be able to contain it and it will literally spill over and flow upon others I encounter. Rather than limping through life in hopelessness, I'll be marching forward with overflowing hopefulness. When people get around me, they'll get soaked by hope that is flowing out of me! And all that will happen not of my own ability, but by the power of the Holy Spirit working within me.

Gracious Lord, today I choose to surrender hopelessness and come to the God of all hope in whom I place all my trust. May You fill me with all joy and peace so that I truly do overflow with hope as I am empowered by Your Holy Spirit.

— In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen!

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