OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE

By Colleen Robichaud

“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.”—Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

Among the many treasures received as a daughter of God are knowledge, Scripture, and the Holy Spirt. Let’s use these tools to mine the depth and blessedness of abounding hope.

In today’s Scripture, Paul introduces our Lord as “the God of hope,” which can also be interpreted as "the God who is Himself hope!" Romans 5:5 (TPT) tells us His “hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts . . .”

Fill means to the brim. We see this same meaning of this word used in John 12:3 (NIV) “as the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” used to anoint Jesus’ feet. Paul goes on to say, “fill you with all” to highlight that God is not stingy. He fills those that love Him to the max!

Paul then states that God lavishly fills “you with all joy and peace.” Our first joy is the forgiveness of sin, which leads to the joy of eternal life with Jesus—the prized upward call of God (Philippians 3:14 NASB). Life with God produces a deep inner rejoicing. It doesn’t matter whether circumstances are favorable or unfavorable, we will rejoice, “and no one will take away [our] joy” (John 16:22 NIV).

Biblically, peace is defined as “a state of harmony and restoration.” One Bible scholar called it, "The tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.” Peace is twofold . . . it comes when we accept God’s forgiveness, and thus experience restoration to God and harmony with God. And it’s felt when we’re in God’s intimate presence. In Mark 6:50–51 (NLT) with the winds howling and the storm raging, Jesus walks on water to meet His disciples and says to them, “‘Don’t be afraid . . . Take courage! I am here!’ Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped.” You see that? As soon as He entered the scene, as soon as they were in His presence, peace came!

Now we move on to the vital role of believing. Trust, faith, and belief all come from the Greek root word pistis, which means “to have complete confidence in what is worthy of trust.” Surely God is able “to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NASB). We must believe in this! 

Today’s verse ends with “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Think about this: The same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11) is in you! Just as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at the beginning of His ministry (Luke 3:22–23), when the Holy Spirit enters you, it’s the beginning of yours.

Your mission is to abound in hope, knowing that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 

Friends, “may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!” (Romans 15:13 TPT). 

Pause and Reflect: Using words from Romans 15:13 (NKJV), answer the following questions:

1. Who is the source of your hope?

2. What must you do to be filled with all joy and peace?

3. When you believe, who are you filled with and what does He bring?

4. What is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit in you? What will you abound in?

Practice: Write down Romans 15:13 and display it somewhere you'll see it each day.

Pray: As you spend time in prayer today, ask the Lord to fill you with His peace, His strength, and His joy, so that you may abound in hope.