Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
(Romans 15:13-14 NKJV)
The screams of Haitian citizens haunt me. My husband described the scene as they raced through the earthquake’s rubble trying to escape the rapidly approaching ocean. Streets became rivers as terror gripped their souls.
The next day, footage emerged showing the Afghan people chasing airplanes, grasping onto the wings, desperate to leave Afghanistan or die trying. Death seems better than the life they fear.
Such horrific scenes make our problems at home myopic. Food shortages and inflated prices stir up a tremble, but God always provides (Phil. 4:19). New viruses threaten to fill hospitals, provoking us to worry about our health.
My mind, like yours, cannot grasp all of this. Could this be the absolute worst we have experienced in our lifetime?
Then God gave me a gentle reminder. Hope exists because our source of hope is God. Jesus never promised us an unburdened life. He did promise us a world of tribulation, but He has given us His peace (John 16:33).
Let’s unpack these verses from the end back to the beginning. Believers can admonish one another as I’m admonishing you. This ability to warn and encourage connotes a sense of power. Intimate knowledge of God grants us this power, along with goodness stirred up by the Holy Spirit. Lift up your chin and tell someone the good news of hope.
Now let’s move to the word believe. An abiding confidence in God enables us to possess hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice that we’re not served rations of hope. We abound in hope! It will overflow, and touch those around us.
On a day like today, abundant hope sounds like an extravagant gift from our Father, but He doesn’t stop there. Look at the above verses. What do you see that is in short supply today?
Joy and peace! Remember, Jesus told us that amidst the tribulation of the world, we have His peace. Not a peace like the world knows, but a supernatural Holy Spirit peace.
Don’t forget the joy. The circumstances aren’t joyful, but we have a joyful expectation of how God will work all this turmoil together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).
Friend, let me wrap my arms around you with a virtual hug. Now, go find someone to admonish. Splash some hope on them. Give them a reason to trust God, our source of hope. Leave them with joy and peace. They can pass it on. It’s the only way we can overcome this season. While everyone else wants to divide, let’s multiply hope.
Heavenly Father, thank You for encouraging us. We didn’t expect to ever witness anything like today’s current events, but You knew we would experience it. You also knew we would need encouragement. Help us admonish one another, spreading hope, peace and joy. In Jesus’s name Amen.
DIG DEEPER
Scan back over this devotional, jotting down all the verses referenced. Look them up, and choose one to memorize or post as an encouraging reminder.
HIKING THE TRAIL
Who can you admonish today? Please include this hurting world in your prayers.
RELATED RESOURCE
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Originally posted on August 20, 2021 @ 10:00 am