40 Days of TRUST

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of TRUST
Day  14 | TRUSTING GOD FOR HOPE, JOY, AND PEACE
TRUSTING GOD FOR HOPE, JOY, AND PEACE

Romans 15:13
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(NLT)

How would it be to have the Apostle Paul pray for YOU?  Or if not him, how about Peter or James or John?  The Romans received such a prayer from Paul here in Romans 15.

From what Paul said to them, we learn that GOD was the SOURCE of their HOPE. And HOPE was vitally important to them and it’s vitally important to us. Without hope, we give up and succumb.

Paul knew that the Romans needed hope and to be FILLED with joy and peace.
How about YOU? Doesn’t that sound good? To be “completely” filled with “joy and peace”?

It does to me!

Then Paul says, “…because of your trust in Him” (the Lord God).

How does that happen, that is to TRUST in God?

Not by wishing.  Not by hoping.  Not by dreaming.

It happens – as we have been discussing in this series of “40 Days” – as we develop a RELATIONSHIP with God. And that comes as we spend TIME with Him and get to know Him.

I also like the promise in this verse: “THEN you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Today, we NEED this overflowing confident HOPE.  We need God, the Holy Spirit.  We need all that this verse promises.

But again, WE must carve out time – quality time – to be ALONE with God.  No electronics, no disturbances… just alone with you, God, your Bible, and talking back and forth.
 
This type of action – over time – will build YOUR trust in Almighty God, and that TRUST will lead to many other positive emotions and feeling as Paul mentions here.

Prayer: LORD, I do want to BUILD my trust in You and to be filled completely with Your joy and peace.  Remind me daily to spend time, plenty of time, alone with You. Amen.