“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Here’s a little something about me: I’m not a fan of scary stories. I generally dislike Halloween (except for the popcorn balls!). I have had nightmares for weeks as a result of watching zombie movies (especially the ones involving viral outbreaks!). So, what on earth inspired me to jump on my studio cycle and complete the zombie themed “Trail of the Dead” ride is beyond me. That said, I’m glad I did because it’s funny where and how God talks to us sometimes, and He certainly did some talking to me through that ride.

Throughout the 34 minute ride, my guide kept talking about hope. She hoped to find her family at the extraction point. She hoped it wouldn’t get dark before we got there. She hoped the helicopter was still waiting for us. She must have said hope at least 20 times during the program.

Honestly, as we rode, I kept thinking, “If there ever is a zombie outbreak, I just hope Jesus comes back for His church before it happens, so I don’t have to experience it!”.

Up hills and around blind curves and through rough terrain, my guide hoped and hoped and hoped, but we didn’t find her family, we didn’t get to the extraction point before dark, the helicopter wasn’t still there, and – when we rode to the next extraction point – the helicopter landed right as the zombies overwhelmed us ending the ride with a “To Be Continued” and a credit roll for the cool down.

Despite all of my guide’s hoping, nothing worked out in our favor.

Oh sweet friends, isn’t life just like that sometimes? Don’t we often catch ourselves putting our hope in someone or sometime or something? We hang our hope on a spouse, or a friend, or an employer. We put our hope in tomorrow or next month or next year. We have hope that things will get better once we get that pay raise or that promotion or finish that degree. Like my experience on the “Trail of the Dead”, we often find ourselves going from hope to hope to hope; sometimes we reach our objective only to be overwhelmed in a season we can only describe as “To Be Continued”.

But what if life didn’t have to be like that? What if there was a Source of hope that never let us down, never left us behind?

The dictionary defines hope as “to expect something with reasonable confidence”. Dear heart, who alone can we expect to deliver with real confidence? Our great and mighty God, the God of hope (Romans 13:15).

What do we know about God that makes Him worthy of our confident expectation?

• Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6)
• All things were made through Him (God), and without Him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)
• God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19)
• ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’ (Jeremiah 32:17)
• For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

What happens when we place our hope in God alone?

• …but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
• But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love… (Psalm 33:18)
• Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5).
• You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. (Psalm 119:114)
• Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:7)

And one of my personal favorites:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:3-6)

Beloved, take a few moments to read the verses again and make a note of the relationship between the bold hope and the underlined phrases.

What do you notice?

When we place our hope in God, in His promises, in His word, in His Son Jesus Christ:

• Our strength is renewed; we will soar, and run, and walk and not grow weary!
• We are kept in the protective gaze of the Father!
• We are not disappointed because God’s love is in our hearts and Holy Spirit is within us!
• We have a safe place, a hiding place, a shield against the evils of this world!
• We are blessed!
• We have an inheritance in heaven that will never fade or spoil!
• We are shielded by God’s power!

Brothers and Sisters, we are able to rejoice even in trials because our hope is in the Lord!

May we each one allow the God of hope to fill us with all joy and peace as we believe in Him so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit! May we live each day in the fullness of our hope in Him, a shining light to those who have lost hope, a beacon showing the way to Christ in whom all our hope is found!

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