“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 (New International Version)
It’s funny how the Lord uses the strangest methods to speak. Today I stayed home from work because my body once again had a mind of its own and decided that I needed rest. As I laid on an extremely comfortable recliner in a state of consciousness that was more REM than awake, I heard a preacher say the above verse since my mother had left the living room radio on a local Christian station. Even in a sleepy state I felt my spirit jumped as I heard the phrase “May the God of hope.” The only part of the message that I recall is when the preacher gave the definition of hope, which he defined as confidence. According to Webster’s definition, hope is “to desire with expectation of obtainment: to expect with confidence : to trust” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hope).
I went to sleep last night praying and meditating on a ministerial desire that is so wildly ludicrous for someone such as me (God knows what it is). It transcends all other desires that are more normative of human experience . . . it has to do with my calling and purpose. I once read that until one is walking in the calling which the Lord destined for us to fulfill, we are not truly at peace. I agree. The challenge is the process of transformation and equipping that occurs in the desert between being rescued from slavery in Egypt and the promise land flowing with milk and honey. I prayed like Abraham last night. I prayed for something virtually impossible but God given; and I believed God. However, I am also studying the book of Exodus and am grudgingly realizing that the Lord’s perfect time is FAR slower than my impatient desire for warp speed ahead. I guess that is why Paul asserts that the overflow of hope can not occur without the Divine power to carry it out by the Holy Spirit. True hope goes against our human nature because it founded on faith. Faith is the “certainty of what we can not see” Hebrews 11:1.
I am not alone in the wandering through the desert on the way to the promise land. Much like the Israelites griped and contended with the Lord during their 40 year journey, I have done the same during my eight year journey and counting. I am grateful for the reminder today of what He teaches in the desert. . . trust.
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