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.
When you hope for something, there is a sense of exhilaration around it when the object of that hope is able, trustworthy, and faithful.
A story is told about a young boy and his grandfather. Grandpa had promised Chris a watch for Christmas. He dreamed of wearing his first watch to school when school resumed after the Christmas break. He talked about it at the dinner table every day and teased Lucy, his sister, for being the favorite grandchild. So, on this final Sunday before Christmas, Chris wanted to make sure Grandpa, who has almost lost his hearing, remembered his promise. He, therefore, volunteered to pray.
“Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Son; that we may live and have hope for eternity. And now Lord, since it is one week before Christmas, I want to remind everybody gathered at this table today of the words you spoke concerning your future return in Mark 13:37”
“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
You can imagine the laughter that erupted around the Benson dinner table that Sunday.
The good thing about our heavenly Father is that He is not flippant with us to forget His promises. Neither is He hard of hearing that He cannot hear our prayers whispered in the privacy of our chambers. He is faithful to the core.
Since we trust in Christ as the source of our hope (Col. 1:27), we can expect Him to fill us with joy and peace that overflow in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is our confident hope in Him.
So, continue to trust Him, even through the crucibles of life, and may His joy be your strength (Ne. 8:10).
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest upon you! Amen.
Good morning, beloved of God.
Through the Eyes of the Spirit 