ABOUNDING IN HOPE

A few weeks ago while reading in Romans during my devotional time, I stopped abruptly because chapter fifteen, verse thirteen, simply captivated me. As I read and reread this verse, I began to understand that this prophetic prayer by the apostle Paul is as pertinent to us in 2015 as it was when Paul wrote it almost 2000 years ago.

Paul penned this prayer before he ever visited the church in Rome. I believe the Holy Spirit was using Paul to prophetically prepare the Roman believers for the horrible persecution that would be coming within a few years. Several years after Paul wrote this letter and prayed this prayer, the emperor Nero set the city of Rome on fire and then turned and blamed the Christian church for what he had done. You can imagine the persecution that descended on the church.

Here is Paul’s 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, ESV).

With all my heart I believe this is a key passage to know and have an understanding of as we face the increasing chaos and persecution that is now descending upon the church.

A few key points to take hold of:

1.      “May the God of hope”

God is the author of hope.

What does the word hope mean, as it’s used in the Bible? Don’t confuse the weak contemporary meaning of the word hope with the Bible word. Biblical hope is, “A confident expectation based on the certainty of God’s Word, His promises.” Hope is never inferior to faith but is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is the confidence in grace’s future accomplishments.

2.       “Fill you with all peace and joy”

The word fill means to be completely full; not partially full, not sporadically full. It means to be full all the time and that is God’s promise for us to lay hold of.

The word all used here means that we will be filled with “every kind” of peace and joy. Don’t jump past this word, because if you do you’ll lose some of an explosive truth. Peace and joy are a complete package and they come because we have put our faith in (we have believed in) Christ as our Savior.

3.      “By the power of the Holy Spirit”

The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at salvation. Unfortunately, some Christians choose to limit the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and they do so to their own detriment. 

Personally, I want the full activity of the Holy Spirit in my life at all times. I need His power and His gifts operating in me now more than ever. The church of 2015 needs the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit as much or more than the first century church. Because of wrong-headed thinking about the purpose and place of the Holy Spirit in today’s church, we are losing the battle to win America for Christ.

            Please remember that the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Triune Godhead and you can feel free to speak to Him and to ask Him to be freely active in your life.

            The Holy Spirit is God’s agent of power. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV).

            How do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that we will see His power released?

            “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and   for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20, ESV).

            One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned in my walk with God has been to discern when to stop asking and start worshiping. There’s a time for making our requests   known to Him and an equally important time for worshiping Him. The Holy Spirit  responds when we worship; He is the Father’s agent of power and He manifests Himself.

4.      “You may abound in hope”

Abound means “to have in excess, to have an overflow” of hope. Abounding in hope brings strength and fruitfulness into the life of the believer who puts his or her trust/expectation in God.

What does this verse have to do with us in our world in 2015? What is the “takeaway” for us? Allow me to put this verse in my words:

“Because we have invited Christ into our lives, God, the author of hope, will fill us with the fruit of that step of faith and fill us with joy and peace through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Because of that we will abound in the confident understanding that God has everything under control!”

In the increasing chaos of the world we live in , I believe God wants His people to be “abounding in hope.”