Romans 15:13 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 a beautiful benediction! And what a wonderful name for God: The God of Hope. This is far from the “I hope so” that we hear and perhaps say frequently. That is essentially wishful thinking, but this hope is based on the One who spoke the universe into existence. He can indeed fill us with all joy and peace by the faith that He also provides. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Such a God is certainly worthy of all praise and devotion! A shockingly large number of people in the world today essentially have no hope, simply living from day to day, if that can indeed be called living. And that isn’t limited to impoverished or war-torn countries, either. A lack of genuine hope is a major driver of all sorts of destructive behaviors, particularly including addictions of various kinds. A young person with active hope isn’t going to be taking fentanyl, for example. Such things totally lose their appeal for anyone who has “the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Politicians and charlatans of all sorts do their best to hijack hope, to make us place our hope in falsehoods of various sorts, but only the God of Hope can give us the genuine article.

To be honest, I’ve always been somewhat shaky on the subject of hope, because I was raised with an emphasis on faith, which is, as Hebrews puts it, “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) I have frankly never been tempted by drugs or alcohol, because I have gotten my “buzz” from intangible things. (That’s not to say I’m impervious to temptation, just not to substance abuse.) I have associated with or dealt with many people who were indeed vulnerable to such things, and I’ve not always been very good in giving them the hope that they so obviously lack. When I operate in the realm of faith, as described in Hebrews, I need to be gentle with and understanding of those who don’t even have hope they would want to be sure of. I need to remember that the Gospel is indeed good news, and communicate it to all who don’t yet know it.

Father, I’m still not sure I have a very firm grasp on just what hope is, because You have given me such assurance of what is laid up for me in glory. I feel that’s a step beyond hope, but so many around me don’t even have hope. May I be a carrier of all that You are, so that as many as will may open their hearts to receive all that You have provided in Christ, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!