As We Trust In Him

by: jc

SCRIPTURE: Romans 15:13

“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.”

OBSERVATION:

The words “as you trust in Him” seemed to pop off the page today. We long to be happy and to have peace in our lives. Oh, to have a worry free day! Oh, to have a day that is marked with JOY! Even when it’s not Christmas.

I think what God is saying to me by highlighting those words is that Joy does not come from a lack of situations that are upsetting and peace does not appear with the disappearance of worrisome circumstances.

My thoughts are drawn this direction because of the word “TRUST”. If every thing is great, where does trust fit? You have to trust when circumstances offer opportunities for negative results. You have to trust when things have gone from good to bad and possess the potential to go from bad to worse.

As we TRUST Him God fills our lives with ALL joy and peace. As this happens our lives OVERFLOW with hope as the Holy Spirit works it into our lives.

APPLICATION:

Hope, joy, and peace, are not connected to the natural/physical world. They are attributes that are connected to our spirits - they supernatural/spiritual. If I am going to possess those attributes then I can’t look to find them in circumstances. Furthermore, they can't be learned by my physical mind. These attributes are imparted to us by God as we learn to TRUST Him.

We learn to trust God by allowing the Holy Spirit to work hope into our lives. We do this by intentionally setting our hearts and minds on what the Holy Spirit wants to teach us.

The intentional part is the practice of spiritual disciplines - Reading scripture, praying, meditating, fellowship, serving God’s church, sharing our faith with others, etc.... Once again God showed me that the greatest miracles, both in quantity and quality, take place in us rather than in our circumstances.

PRAYER:

Father, thank you for your overwhelming love. What an awesome miracle that you have performed in us by filling us with your peace and joy. These are attributes that you possess. You are never rattled or sour. Thank you that you impart your image, your attributes, in us. God please help me to trust you more so that I may become more like you. In Jesus name I ask, AMEN!