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
The words that Paul speaks to the Romans as forever rich. Even though we are so distant from them now, they speak to us life, truth, and hope even in our current situation. Romans, I find to be unique in the letters of Paul because it is written to a people who are almost entirely Gentile, yet are very educated as Romans citizens would have been. We must remember that much of our modern world is based on the society that was developed by the Roman empire.
So, when Paul is writing to the Romans he is writing both as an educated man, and as someone who has a great understanding of the righteousness of Jesus Christ offered without price.
Therefore, we can look at the hope of which Paul writes, and is offered through the Holy Spirit. We should realize that it this hope that fill us and completes us in God’s joy and peace, but only as we trust Him (or as some translations say: “believe in Him”). Herein we find is a matter of the heart which requires us to let go of what we know that we are capable of doing, to let God have control and let Him give us the peace that is not based on our ability to strive and overcome, but on God’s ability to save and sustain us.
I believe it is this sustaining, saving peace that Jesus had as He trusted and was faithful to God the Father that though he would endure the pain and suffering of the cross, God would bring the salvation through such faithfulness. This is the true fulfillment of the Law, to trust in God no matter the cost and follow Him to the cross, if necessary, and be led beyond into the true hope and power of the Holy Spirit.
We are all learning a new system of trust in these days of isolation. We are all clinging to something that brings hope. As the days go on, may we find that our greatest hope is the hope we have already placed in our trust of Jesus Christ, knowing that in him we can let go of fear, for we have no fear, even in death, for in Him is only life and love.
I pray, the love of Christ brings you this great hope today.
Sam
More words of encouragement: in Romans 12:12 it says “be patient in tribulation”. This is certainly a time when we all need patience. With God’s help we can be patient and see this through. – Donna Judd