“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 book of Proverbs 13:12 says: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” This connotes a hope that makes the heart sick and weary, which is true when assumed from a natural man’s perspective.
Nonetheless, our text today reflects the correct state of every believer—the hope that sustains. When God becomes the origin of our hope, no sorrow can grip our souls or drag them down to the grave in shame. Instead, joy and peace become the portion of those who trust in Him.
Believers are bound by a covenant and a promise of safety in life’s tempests and storms, so we do not live anxiously like unbelievers. It is not unusual for us to face hardship; what makes all the difference is that we do not journey blindly—we are fully aware of what our end shall be. This is the hope by which we are formed, guided, and ruled. What then is this hope? “It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” – Colossians 1:27b. Christ is the reason you should continually show up—the very hope that sustains.
Charge: Be comforted in the hope of the resurrected Christ.
Further Study: Lamentations 3:21; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 5:3-5; Ephesians 1:18.
