Romans 15:13, commentary and pictures

The God of hope fills those who believe with all joy and peace in believing, so that they abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is received by diligent prayer, casting the helpless soul on God and confessing sin, and it must be a fresh daily experience of unwavering trust that warms and refreshes the soul rather than resting on past confidence. It appears in grateful praise, rejoicing and thanksgiving with heart and mind brought into harmony with Christ, where living faith works by love, purifies the soul, and brings gladness and wise, helpful speech. Peace and joy in believing are the sure and visible sign of vital connection with God, making believers a light in the world whose first work is to impart happiness to others and lead sinners to Christ. This blessing is kept by walking humbly and sincerely with God even in dark trials, and by guarding the lips from faultfinding and retaliation, speaking kindly, answering harshness with silence, and keeping the eye fixed on Jesus.

Promise and How Received

The God of hope fills those who believe with all joy and peace in believing, so that they overflow and abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Believing itself brings the joy and peace, and the Spirit's power enables the abounding hope, shown in grateful praise and rejoicing and thanksgiving and in a heart and mind brought into harmony with Christ under the Spirit's guidance. This hope belongs to the shared rejoicing of Jews and Gentiles among God's people, so that Jews who join God's followers may receive the Lord's rich blessing. It is spoken as a blessing upon believers with different gifts and talents who stand in their lot and place as laborers together with God, who are full of goodness and able to admonish one another yet still need bold reminding through grace given for ministry.

Peace and joy in believing are found when people are diligent in prayer, cast their helpless souls on God, and come to Him confessing their sins. God loves to help, and Jesus having ascended to the Father pours rich currents of grace upon all who believe to fill them with that peace and joy. Comfort and hope and joy in the Holy Spirit are to be a present, fresh, daily experience, not resting on past confidence in God. It calls for a trustful mind that maintains confidence without wavering, with the soul daily warmed and invigorated by the truth of the gospel and refreshed by a daily, living, new experience. That living freshness includes freedom from any disturbance when the Lord raises up youth to lift and carry heavier burdens and proclaim the message of truth.

A life of sanctification and joy in believing is available to everyone who trusts God's promises and draws on divine strength to overcome. Those who walk and work with God in humility and sincerity can find joy and peace and hope in Him even in dark times and trials. They need not despair, for God gives them precious victories. This is entered by consecrating the soul to God, regarding Him with holy reverence, and entrusting the soul to His care.

Life of Hope in Action

The God of hope fills believers with all joy and peace in believing so that they abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit, and this Spirit-filled condition shows itself in grateful praise and rejoicing and thanksgiving. It accompanies the Spirit's guidance and a heart and mind brought into harmony with Christ. When Christians live in this rejoicing, Spirit-led condition, sinners will be converted.

Looking toward the better land where there are no tears, trials, losses, or reproaches strengthens spiritual life, satisfies the soul, and fills the heart with hope and joy. In that outlook the Comforter abides with the believer. Living faith works through love, purifies the soul, and grows through trust and confidence, so that when Christ abides in the soul gladness follows and the words spoken are wise and helpful.

Peace and joy in believing are the sure sign of vital connection with God. Those who have found them will certainly be known by it, for their first and most earnest work will be to impart happiness to others, and just as surely as the sun shines they will be a light in the world. Those with no connection with God have no Sun in their heaven to shine forth in beams of righteousness to the world.

Joy, peace, refreshing, and blessing to the heart are kept by guarding the door of the lips. They are kept by refusing to hear or speak faultfinding, criticism, and contention, by speaking kindly and tenderly, by answering provocation and harsh words with silence rather than retaliation, by confessing wrongs and praying for forgiveness, and by keeping the eye fixed on Jesus who never finds fault except to lay open perils from which He would deliver. Brain-power and the talent of speech must be sanctified for a person to be fitted for service. The true believer has peace through believing and can continue in the work and endure trials without losing self-control.

Believing brings transformation of character and equips people for service that leads others to Christ, so this hope is connected with working to lead others to Jesus. Those whose hope is not centered in Christ become impatient, brood over supposed grievances, and accept complaint as truth. So the sick mind should be led into a hopeful train of thought by speaking tenderly and often of the loving and sympathizing Redeemer. The sick should be faithfully told their true condition instead of being falsely promised recovery, assured that everything possible will be done for them and that prayer will be offered for them, with seeds of truth thus planted, for when one who is dying is led to believe in the Saviour peace and joy come to the soul.