Celebrating Hope: Looking Back Stepping UpSample

Wrestling with Hope

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 

I proudly recall being a hopeful little black boy. Today, as a black adult reflecting on my childhood, I realize I often wrestle with hope. Because there are times when my hope feels foolish. I ask myself in the face of ill-treatment, injustice, and ongoing struggle, why should I continue to hope, only to experience disappointments that seem so inevitable? Yet, even when I fear and resist hoping again, I sense hope flows through me. The reason is that the God I serve is the God of hope (Romans 15:10–13). His hope flows in me even when I struggle to receive it. 

In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he encouraged believers in Jesus, assuring fellow Christians about the power of God. Hope is not only God’s nature, but He’s also hope’s Creator. The God of hope allows His character to flow in and through the Spirit that He has given to those who believe in Jesus. As I trust in Him, God is ever ready to refill me with His hope. 

As believers in Jesus Christ, you and I are in harmony with the hope of God, even when we may feel at odds with it due to present challenging circumstances. Therefore, it’s not our hope but actually the power of the Spirit working within us, giving us what we don’t have on our own. —Wendell Moss

Do you believe that God wants to supply you with the power of His hope even when your hope has waned?

May we be surprised by You, God of hope, when we find our hope waning in trying times.