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

Romans 15:13

Romans 15:13 has become my go-to Scripture verse these past few months. So many people and so many stories, happy ones and heartbreaking ones — my own and others’ — have all been reasons to resonate with hope and joy and peace and trust. The passage continues: “so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Hope for situations that only God can answer. Hope for the end of war, hope for hungry children, hope for those who have lost their way. Hope for eternal life in our Savior, Jesus Christ. My husband had a t-shirt emblazoned with a huge butterfly with the word HOPE in the middle. After many washings the butterfly was barely visible, but HOPE still stood out loud and clear. Our God has given us not just hope, but overflowing hope!

Sally Beck
Williamsburg, VA

Holy Spirit, You fill us with hope-overflowing; empower us to share that hope in our Savior Jesus with others. Amen.

Reflect: In Romans 15, hope infuses Paul’s plans. Pray that hope will inspire the ups and downs in your life.

Read: Romans 15 and Romans 5:1-7