Romans 15:13a May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace…
I’m struggling with the fact that people whom I love and care about are struggling. I want to help, want to fix it, and I can’t, which makes me frustrated, makes me feel helpless. But God says He will never leave me nor forsake me, so I know He’s with me now, too.
Romans 15:13b …as you trust in him…
Romans 15:13 reminds me that joy and peace come from the God of hope. The goal is not the *I* can fix it, not the *He* can fix it according to my idea of what it *should* be. The goal is to remember that God is sovereign and in control, and no matter what this mess looks like from my angle, God’s got it. He’s already made a way. He is victorious, and we are victorious through Him. Trusting in Him (and you know how I struggle with trust) means trusting that even though I can see no way of the situation being ok, God’s got it. That trust in Him, in His power and love, sovereignty and compassion, will allow me to overflow with His hope.
Romans 15:13c …so that you may overflow with hope…
Precious Savior, I want to overflow with Your hope. I want to be surrounded by Your joy and peace. The only way to do that is to surrender to You, to trust–fully trust–in You. I do, Lord. I trust You. But I feel like I should be *doing* as well as trusting. And that way leads to misery, I know. Help me to trust in You. Help those I love and care about who are struggling to trust in You, too. Help us, Lord. Please. Amen.
Romans 15:13d …by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have a blessed day.