Honestly, I often find it difficult to raise any kind of Hallelujah! Especially when hope seems to have skipped town.
But there’s something you and I must know. We are never far from hope. And we are never far from a hope-filled Hallelujah.
Because who doesn’t need hope? Multiple times in life, I felt all hope was lost.
(1.) Like my difficult childhood leading to issues in my adulthood.
(2.) When the good job and steady income suddenly ended.
(3.) When our second baby died in utero, leaving me with an empty womb and heart.
(4.) During my father’s month-long hospital stay and his passing away five days before Christmas.
Recently, my family walked through a dark valley where it felt like hope hid in the darkness.
Hope-less or Hope-filled
Yet, the false forms of hope the world always offered me in the past, faded and fizzled. They made me hope-less instead of hope-filled.
So, I went on a search to find the kind of hope still standing when all else falls away. It needed a foundation in something other than this world—true substance and measure.
Although hope seems intangible in how it’s not seen or touched, it is something we can know exists and then grab ahold of. Therefore, the perfect place to search is God’s Word.
The Apostle Paul tells us about true and lasting hope in Romans 15:1-13. He begins the chapter using Christ as our example to do good to others and not live to please only ourselves (vv.1-3).
Hope of Heaven
Now look at Romans 15:4:
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (ESV, emphasis mine).
Paul wants us to know the Bible was not only written as our instruction for Christian living, but also for our encouragement in possessing—grabbing ahold of—real, authentic, and undying hope.
But the good news doesn’t stop there. The verses that follow describe our hope in even more detail.
First, Jesus Christ became hope for all people. Namely, for the Gentiles who were not in covenant relationship with God like the Jews in the Old Testament before Christ came to earth. Still further, Jesus was born to die for the sins of all—Jews and Gentiles alike (Romans 15:8-12, ESV).
We each must acknowledge the sacrifice and death of Christ to receive eternal life. Jesus is the hope of heaven.
Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!
God of Hope
Finally, this section of Scripture ends with one of my all-time favorite Bible verses.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13, ESV, emphasis mine).
Here, we realize hope not only comes through Jesus, but also from God. Our heavenly Father is the Hope-Giver. His hope-giving all started in a lowly stable when Hope entered the world in the flesh.
The Christ-child grew into a man. During His ministry, Jesus spoke of the hope He came to dispense to everyone who believes. Christ took our place on the cross and became our only hope for everlasting life. Hopeless never has the last word. Hope rose from the dead when Jesus Christ conquered the grave.
An empty tomb secured our eternal life in the future and our abundant life in the present. God fills us with all joy and peace in believing. Why? So that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we abound in hope.
Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!
Hope Abounds
Notice, the filling with joy and peace is “in believing.” Our belief that God is God and Jesus is Savior sets the stage for believing God fills us with His joy and peace. If we believe, then the power of the Holy Spirit causes our hope to abound.
“Abound” means “to have in large numbers or amounts” (Google).
Oh, please don’t miss this. God promises to give us hope in large amounts.
Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!
Hope-Giver
The Hope-Giver’s job never ends. He sent us Hope from heaven in the form of His precious Son. Now, He continues to fill us with joy and peace, and empowers us through the Holy Spirit until our hope abounds. We have access to hope any and every time we need it.
But we have a job, too. Our job is to keep hoping in God (an action verb). And to keep believing in the personification of Hope (a noun).
Because Hope has a name. It’s Jesus. Therefore, we are hope-filled and not hope-less.
Remember those hard situations of loss and devastation I mentioned from my life? Each time, God patiently waits for me to fully believe in the hope of His Son, then He fills me with supernatural joy and peace so abundant hope abounds in me.
So whatever hardships you are currently walking through or may come your way; never let hopeless get the last word. Instead, claim the promises in God’s Word.
Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!
*Featured Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash.
