Daily Devotional

In Christian thought, the title "God of hope" is used to describe and emphasise God's role in providing assurance and confidence in his plans. This title is often associated with the biblical verse Romans 15:13, which states, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul is asking the God of hope to fill these believers with all joy and peace as they put their trust in Him. In other words, he is not asking God to simply dump the blessings of joy and peace into their hearts without cause. He is requesting that as these believers trust in God, so their faith will bring joy and peace to their hearts. In other words, help them to keep believing so that they can experience joy and peace.

What a fantastic prayer to ask God for others or for ourselves. What more could we wish for other believers than to be filled with joy and peace and abounding in hope?

Hope prays for God’s "will to be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) and then seeks to be God’s agent of change!

One writer says: "Biblical and Christian hope does not mean living in the clouds, dreaming of a better life. It is not merely a projection of what we would like to be or do. It leads us to discover seeds of a new world already present today, because of the identity of our God, because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This hope is, in addition, a source of energy to live differently, not according to the values of a society based on the thirst for possession and competition. … As we embark on this Life, we are led to create signs of a different future here and now, in the midst of the difficulties of the world. To discover the seeds of renewal that will bear fruit when the time comes.”

Heavenly Father, thank You that I have access by faith into Your amazing grace, and have been enabled to stand firm in the evil day. I praise You that my hope is based on nothing less than the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who cannot and will not disappoint. Thank You that Your gracious love has been poured into my heart in great measure through the indwelling Holy Spirit, as a guarantee of Your precious promises. In Jesus' name, AMEN.