Can You Really Overflow With Hope?
Romans 15:13
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.
What would it feel like to overflow with hope whenever we face a difficult situation? The word that is translated overflow is “perisseuó” in the Greek which means to exceed, go beyond the expected measure, i.e. above and beyond, to surpass. It’s not natural to be exceedingly hopeful, especially when we find ourselves in hard times or are given bad news. Instead, we often fear the worst and feel hopeless. But the state of hopelessness is never from God.
The apostle Paul describes God as the God of hope. The Greek word for hope is “elpis” which means expectation, hope, trust, confidence. In the New Testament it always conveys a joyful and confident expectation of good, so it stands to reason that when we feel hopeless, that emotion is not coming from the heart of God. On the contrary, a few verses before Paul says God is the giver of endurance and encouragement (Romans 15:5). Hope is so vital to the Christian life because faith is confidence in what we hope for, (Hebrews 11:1) so we if we lose hope, we lose faith.
So is it really possible to overflow with hope? Yes, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said the key is to trust in God and ask Him to completely fill us with joy and peace. Then by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be abundantly hopeful.
Don’t let anyone or anything ever cause you to lose hope. That’s a scheme of the enemy to steal your peace, joy and faith. The truth is nothing we face is impossible for us because of Jesus. Let’s do a hope health check today. Is there any area of your life which you feel hopeless about? If the answer is yes, then firstly don’t carry that burden anymore but give it to Jesus, trust Him and ask Him to fill you with joy and peace. You will find hope rising up in your soul. If hopelessness and discouragement begin to creep back in (they are nasty critters!) then be intentional about going back to Jesus and asking for a joy and peace top-up, several times a day if necessary. Eventually this will become a life-transforming habit!
Father God, give me new vision today. Help me to trust You and see my situation through the eyes of faith. Please fill me with joy and peace so that I can overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen