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One Verse that Says a Lot

“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).  I like this little prayer because it teaches us five important facts.
                First, it says that our God is a “God of hope”.  I love that description!  We do not serve a God that is out to get us or out to make our lives miserable.  We serve a God who is defined by hope.  Therefore, there is no reason to despair or give up, because anything can happen.  Nothing is hopeless if God is involved.
Next, this passage tells us that Christians ought to be filled with all joy and peace.  If your Christian walk is making you miserable or negative, then you are doing something wrong.   Note the word “filled” as well.  Joy and peace are not qualities that we have in small measure.  Rather, these are the words that define God’s people.
                Interestingly, these new attitudes come “as you trust in him [God]”.  This new life is not solely dependent on me trying harder.  It is not something that I can create.  Rather, it is the gift of God.
                God’s master plan in all of this is that we would “overflow with hope”.  The key word here is “overflow”.  God’s people should be so full of God’s blessings that those good things spill out and are seen and felt by all those around us.  Faith is not a personal and private thing.  Rather it is something that should spill over and make things better every where we go.
                Lastly, this prayer reminds us again that none of this comes about by our own power or our own best intentions.  If we could bring about these changes on our own, then we would, but it is not possible.  The new life that we need is only accessible “by the power of the Holy Spirit”.  I am not exactly sure what all that entails, but it certainly is nice to know that there is more going on that what I see or know.
                I wonder what would happen if we really thought about what Romans 15:13 says and then prayed this little prayer for ourselves and others.
                I guess there is only one way to find out!

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