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Romans 15:13
13May 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.
Paul calls God "the God of hope." Our greatest hope in this world is that God is who the Scriptures declare Him to be. If He is truly almighty, gracious, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love, then we have a glorious hope (Exodus 34:6). Because of His promises to transform us into the image of His Son, we have the greatest hope (Romans 8:29). Contrast this hope we have with the hope of an atheist or one who practices any other religion, and you will get a sense of why Paul referred to God as the God of hope.
Paul is asking that the God of hope fill us with joy and peace in believing. When the grace of God helps us to believe the attributes and promises of God in Scripture, we are filled with joy and peace. Knowing that God loves us to such an extent should fill our hearts with joy in the present, while we look forward to even greater joy in eternity (Hebrews 12:2).
What greater peace can we have than to know that Almighty God will work everything together for good in our lives (Romans 8:28)? We can deal with whatever circumstances come our way because our great God of hope holds our hand and walks us through it (Romans 8:37). The peace we have in knowing our eternal destination is perhaps the greatest comfort to our hearts. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's (Romans 14:8). As the Holy Spirit helps us grasp these truths, we abound in hope.
Consider: Take a moment to think about the joy and peace that should be ours because of what God has done and will yet do for us. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to your heart how much God loves you so that you may abound in hope.
