Hope, joy, and peace

“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
This is a wonderful blessing that Paul prays that the believers in Rome might enjoy, and he uses several key words that can encourage us today.
Firstly he calls God the ‘God of hope’. Hope is a great thing that we have as Christians. It is not wishful thinking, but a confidence in future things that God has promised, knowing that they will come to pass. The primary hope that we have as believers is the resurrection (of Christ as the firstfruits, and of our own selves). Paul prays that as we trust in God, He might fill us with all joy and peace. Joy is different from happiness. You can be joyful even when nothing is going your way. Joy is not dependent on circumstances, the way happiness is; joy springs up from our relationship with God, and, again, the hope that we have. Peace is another wonderful thing that we can only truly know when we know God and have experienced His grace extended to us. We have hope, joy, and peace when we trust in God: the more we trust, the more of these things we have. And the result of this joy, peace, and hope, is to set us free to live a life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When our foundation is deep in God, we can weather any trial. We don’t have to fear, because we can see beyond it. God has promised to deliver us, and to save us for heaven.