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A Prayer for the Church

                 The letter to the Romans ends with several short prayers.  This is my favourite: “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).
                Sadly, some seem to believe that anything holy, pure or good must also be difficult, boring or depressing.  This prayer confronts that thinking by stating that joy and peace are to be the marks of Christian people.  In fact, we are not to have just a little joy, or some peace occasionally.  Rather, Christians are to be filled with these qualities.  This does not mean that life will be easy, but it does mean that we will approach it in a certain way while looking for our blessings.
                By the way, did you notice the title attributed to God?  What could ever be hopeless when “the God of hope” is involved?  Why would we ever give up on someone, or quit in difficult times when we serve a God who is defined that way?
                Note, too, that these blessings come to life as we begin to trust.  As we learn more about God and put his teaching into practice, we find a better way to live and that allows us to trust him even more.  Joy and peace are not found by chasing after them.  They cannot be travelled to or bought.  Rather, they are the result of moving my trust from what I can do to what God can do in, around and through me.
                Lastly, the prayer is that the power of the Holy Spirit would cause hope to overflow from them.  God’s blessings are not just for me to enjoy.  We make a huge mistake when we think that faith is just about me, God and the Bible.  God’s blessings are supposed to spill out from us and on to others so that, “… they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
                Are you joyful, peaceful and hopeful?  Is that how others would describe you?  Would those words describe your congregation?  Is that what is overflowing from you? 
                If not, it is time to start praying this prayer.

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