Reading
“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
Read More on Bible Gateway
Reflection
‘Hope’ is one of my favourite words. It speaks of the future and a ‘to come’ that is better than the present. And yet when I look closely at the verse from Romans, I see that the God of Hope wants to transform our present, not our future. The verbs – fill, trust, overflow – are made effective NOW when we trust God. The verse does not promise a trouble free future; but a future that does not have to overwhelm us because we can call on God to equip us with joy, peace and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Exercise
The most important verb for us to put into action in the verse from Romans is ‘trust’. Spend a few minutes in quiet meditating on the word ‘trust’. Tell God you trust him for the present and the future. Imagine literally putting the things that make you anxious into God’s much bigger hand. Breathe slowly and deeply.
The following article by Joyce Meyer is about the importance of trust:
Music
Have a listen to these great songs as you think about today’s reflection:
One Classic: All my hope on God is founded
One Modern: All my hope
Digging Deeper
Want to spend a little time digging into this series?
The following article by Joyce Meyer is about the importance of trust in our Christian lives:
Church of England Daily Prayer.
Church of England Lent: LiveLent: God’s Story, Our Story
Link to St Andrews online Services.
