May the God of All Hope Fill You With Peace
The glorious impact of Romans 15:13
I once saw this scripture on the side of the road while riding in the passenger seat of a car.
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 had never noticed it before in Romans. It ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy that filled me with hope and peace on sight. That day, I was in the midst of great turmoil in my mind and wondering if all hope was lost. But these are the Ebenezer moments when I remember that God is real. These are the moments that happen that you refer back to over and over again in your faith.
What should happen? I looked up from my phone and despair just in time to see this scripture hand-painted on a signpost, and I had just enough time to read it and note the scripture reference.
Incredible.
It was as if whoever had put it there had done it just for me. I was the one it was to bless. Also, how cool is the Holy Spirit that he should move my head in time to see that?
Not only did it change my day, but it became a favorite scripture to recite, and two years on, I can say it has changed my life.
Let’s examine it’s power:
1. May the God of All Hope
This is where it starts. Are you without hope? May the God of all hope be at your door. He is in charge of not some hope but all of it. Let’s not forget that this is a blessing; “may” opens the door for action.
2. Fill You with All Joy and Peace
I had never connected peace and joy with hope, but they go hand in hand. Peace begets hope, and hope begets joy. And this blessing starts with joy and peace. The scripture speaks peace to the heart first. The passage is full of such abundance; you have the words “all” again and “fill.” Paul is showing God’s abundant supply of all these things. He is the God of all hope, and so is he, the God of all joy and peace.
3. As You Trust in Him
Here’s your part to play. You must trust in him. Otherwise, this is a promise and a blessing that will not land. He is the God of all these things, but do you believe it? Do you trust him?
4. So That
When I recite this scripture, I emphasize this transition phrase. It helped me memorize it. It’s the turn signal in the whole thing. The cause and effect, the if/then statement. Why is God filling you with joy and peace? Let’s find out!
5. You May Overflow with Hope
The God of all hope is filling you with joy and peace so that you might overflow with the things he is filling you with hope. Note again the abundance mentality: now you will overflow because God overflows with these attributes. We are made in his image, and if he has joy, peace, and hope in abundance, what a promise to us that we can not only have these things but overflow with them.
6. By the Power of the Holy Spirit.
And the gentle conclusion. My made-up translation and version I recite says, “powered by the Holy Spirit.” I like the image of the verse as a car (a nice call-back to how I found it), and the Holy Spirit is the engine powering it. He powers our joy, peace, and hope. We don’t have to do it ourselves.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being an abundant God.
Thank you for being Lord over all joy, peace, and hope.
You could have still been God without these things,
But you chose to be defined by them.
Thank you that we are made in your image
And made to be filled with these good things.
Amen.