OUR CONFIDENT HOPE

Romans 15:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

       This is a line from Paul’s introductory letter to the Christians in Rome.  It was to give them a sample of the message he offers.  The letter deals with all the fundamentals of the Christian faith: sin, salvation, spiritual growth, the sovereignty of God and how we are to serve Him.  There are several very important words above that are very meaningful to all believers.  In verse 13, Paul states that God is the source of man’s hope. The Lord will also fill those who trust Him with peace and joy.  This isn’t ordinary peace and joy, but rather that which is sent to us from heaven.  It is supernatural in nature and divine having come from the hand of God. 

       We are expected to trust God.  The act of trusting Him is a deliberate act of our will.  It’s tied to faith.  We know the Lord is worthy of our trust because there is no record of Him ever failing.  There are so many examples of untrustworthy individuals in the world today that it can cause people to doubt if God will come thru for them.  It can be difficult trusting someone you cannot see, but that’s exactly what we’re asked to do.  That’s what faith does for us; to believe in something you cannot see as if you can see it.

       As we trust in the Lord for all things we will begin to overflow not just with hope, but with confident hope.  It’s the word confident that alerts us that this is no ordinary hope we are talking about here.  It’s hope that we have a deep, abiding assurance of.  We have that thru the power of the Spirit, based on our faith.  Placing our faith in temporal things as the non-believers do will not get you where you want to go spiritually speaking.  Faith in God is tapping into the one true source of all things.  That type of hope isn’t shaken easily.  Pray regarding all things with confidence that you will find joy and peace within the parameters of God’s perfect timing. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Reformation Study Bible.

Hebrews 6:18 New Living Translation (NLT)

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us”