Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Notice how important hope is to Paul? Hope is very interesting because it is a mental focus on something we don’t currently have. Paul tells us here that peace and joy coming from this hope.

Notice that real joy and peace can’t come from anything this world has to offer, including wealth. With hope, we can have peace joy now by simply believing! We can know that our current circumstances will change for the better. The Holy Spirit brings the truth to mind and causes us to “abound in hope.” This was a deep wish that Paul had for those of us who heard his message about the grace of God.

God is a God of hope and when we have faith in Him, He gives joy and peace that comes from a strong belief about the future. Hope like this changes our lives and influences the lives of others.

This verse reminds me of some important things about our hope of the future. Paul has talked to us about sin and the punishment that we deserve. Then he told us that Jesus had paid for that sin and made us righteous. Then he told us that we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us to live a good life. Finally, we learn that we are children of God and have a whole different future than those who are not children of God.