By Eddie Broussard
“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.” Romans 15:13
Right now in 2022, the world is in desperate need of hope. I don’t think I need to give examples of the hopelessness we see around us. But Romans 15:13 says, “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.” What does it look like for our lives to so overflow with hope that it pours out onto the lost around us? Let’s unpack that verse.
First, what is hope? In Hebrew, hope has to do with waiting or looking forward with expectation. The word is qawah, which is translated as either “hope” or “wait.” For example, Isaiah 40:31 says “but those who hope in (or wait upon) the Lord will renew their strength.” Hope in Greek (elpis) means looking forward to something with some reason for confidence about its fulfillment. Hope is a firm expectation about the future that is based on certain knowledge which makes it sure. It is not wishful thinking.
We have hope because we know the God of hope. He is sovereign (1 Chronicles 29:11-13). He is unfailing love (Lamentations 3:22-23). He is wise; he knows the best outcome and how to accomplish it (Romans 11:33). God is the source of our hope and the object of our hope because of who he is!
How does knowing the God of hope make a difference for us? Hope gives us an anchor (Hebrews 6:19-20). To be secure, a boat’s anchor needs to attach to something beyond the water the boat is floating in, something immovable. Our hope reaches beyond our present circumstances in this world to hold us firm from God’s very throne where Christ is seated. Hope enables us to endure suffering in our lives because God uses it to bring eternal glory to himself in the Day of Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7 and 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
Romans 15:13 says God fills us with joy and peace as we trust in him. First, trusting the God of hope gives us joy. Joy is not based on circumstances, but on a relationship that transcends circumstances (Psalm 16:11). Jesus gave us the best example of walking in the joy of the Lord as his strength in Hebrews 12:2.
Second, as we trust God, we become people of peace. Hope gives peace in the midst of uncertainty, threat, and vulnerability; that peace strengthens others. People want to be around people who are not only peaceful, but peacemakers (Isaiah 26:3). When we come together in community we become a place where Jesus dwells; a place of joy, peace and hope that others can feel. I like to think of these communities as greenhouses of hope, places where people come because they are nurtured. Let me give you an illustration.
In one of our Navigator ministries in Central Asia, some women laborers have built just such a nurturing community around an English language theater in a university. One student became a part of the theater; she loved to be around the group and attended every rehearsal, event and gathering. She became a believer and was studying the Bible with the Navigator women. A few years ago, that young woman was traveling with her Muslim parents when they were in a car accident. She died on impact and her father passed away later, the result of injuries. Only the girl’s mother survived.
The expat women traveled out to the student’s city to meet her mother. They were able to give the mother a Bible and explain that her daughter had been reading it with them before she died. The mother was very receptive. The women also organized a theater-wide memorial service for the girl. Students created videos for the service in which they sang songs and spoke about their memories with her. The girl’s mother attended that event and was very touched by it. The expat women have continued their relationship with the mother. In addition, two other students in the theater community came to Christ as a result of this young woman’s death. This is a greenhouse of hope. Even as the community has suffered its own grief, the women have been able to cultivate hope in Christ in the students around them.
How is God teaching you to trust him more this year, so you are filled with joy and peace that transcend your circumstances? Who is in your corner to labor with you as you become a greenhouse of hope for the lost around you?
