Press the arrow to listen to Natalie Grant’s song, “Our Hope Endures” while reading where hope comes from.
Scripture
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Observation
Where does hope come from? Hope is a fresh scent of good things God is cooking up for us. It is the sun that makes us get out of bed in the morning. It is a song in our mind that wakes us up in the night. Hope is what keeps us looking long after the posse went back home. Hope is what keeps us praying longer than is reasonable. Hope is not a superfulous, expendable extra in life like the cherry on a sundae. Hope is mission critical. In the toughest conditions, hope is what makes the difference between those who survive and those who do not
We need hope. But where does hope come from? Thankfully hope does not come from us, but from God. Hope somehow doesn’t feel hopeful when we have to talk ourselves into it. But when hope comes from heaven it enables us to believe more than we could ever do so on our own. Hope is a gift from God that keeps us walking forward when the road runs out.
How do we get new hope? Romans 15:13 is full of exciting possibilities of hope. God’s last name is apparently “hope”. With hope come the children of “joy” and “peace”. Hope can get out of control as it abounds in tough places. Hope is power that comes from the Holy Spirit, a power that others do not have to rise above their circumstances. Hope is totally of God. There is only one word in Romans 15:13 that is up to us as human beings. Our responsibility is “believing”. If we will use faith then God will give us hope.
Application
If I will believe, God will give me more hope. No matter how discouraging the circumstances, there is always something we can believe for, no matter how small. We as Christ followers are to be defined by what we are believing for. We are to live from “faith to faith”. We should be believing for something. Though my nose may be bruised from the crush of doors slammed in my face, yet I will continue to believe. In that resolute faith I will have more hope.
Prayer
Father, today you see what I’m believing for. I pray that you would shovel hope into my life. I need this power of anticipation that the Holy Spirit can give to me. Amen.
