Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Living with Hope

Romans 15v13 “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.”

There are many reasons in this world to “lose hope”. At the global level, it seems that every week there is a new disaster of some kind. At the national level, there are many issues which seem incredibly difficult to resolve effectively. At our personal level, there are issues we face day by day.

No wonder many feel hopeless: and lack of hope is not good for you.

In Romans 15, Paul prays “so that you may overflow with hope”! It is possible for us to have hope – more than that, be filled with hope – even more than that, overflow with hope!! It is possible for us to have not just a bit hope, but a hope that spills out from us to the those around us. A contagious hope!

How can we have such hope? When it is dark, we like to switch on a light so that we can see. Is the light fueled by the darkness? No, it is fueled by its own power supply which is independent of the darkness. So we cannot expect to get hope from the source of hopelessness!

God is the source of hope. Indeed, in Romans 15, He is “the God of hope”. If you want hope, go to God! He fills you to overflowing with hope by imparting his joy and peace to you – a joy based on who God is, His love towards you, His salvation and His promises to you; and a peace that is based on the knowledge that God has the whole world in His hands.

Hope is not just a name for a church, it is a characteristic. We are people of Hope.

Paul’s prayer is for the God of hope to fill you. Let’s make that our prayer too – for ourselves and for one another. And I make that my prayer for you today.

With love and blessing,

Roland