13 May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and shalom as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh you may overflow with hope.
Just a brief thought this morning, I think.
The first twelve verses of Romans 15 utilize passages from the Tanakh to lay a foundation for faith for we Gentiles. Paul’s earnest desire for these Gentiles, for this Gentile, for all peoples of the earth, was (is) that we live in hope through trusting.
Read the verse again, please. May God, THE source of hope. Not a source of hope but THE source of hope. And what does this God of hope want for us? He wants us to be FILLED with joy and peace.
How can that be for us in this volatile chaotic 21st Century? How was it for them in their hostile, threatening martyrdom reality?
Trust.
Trusting that Yeshua, Jesus the Christ, was/is the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. Trusting that He is GOD and that He is not just a good God but that He is THE GOOD GOD. Trusting that when death came quickly or slowly that He was still good. Trusting that when beatings and hunger and want were the day’s fare that He was still good. Trusting that when respite came He was still just as good.
Trust. And the more we trust the more filled we are with His joy and His peace. How? The precious Holy Spirit. He is our promise. He is our earnest. He is the One who delivers, instills, and seals that joy and peace in us, as long as we keep trusting. When the trust wanes, so do the joy and the peace.
Joy and peace: great barometers! They let us know with complete accuracy what is our trust level at any given moment of the day.
Nope! Don’t go there! No condemnation, just encouragement to keep on trusting and keep on experiencing those fillings of joy and peace. When we do, being filled will become more of the norm than not — that’s my hope. More of the norm than not. 🙂
The White Stone 