Hope for Now, and Later
Day 213: Romans 15:1-22
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” - Romans 15:13 ESV
Again and again, Paul uses the Greek word elpis to express what living the Christian life is like for ALL who have saving faith in Jesus. Elpis (hope) can also be translated as expectation or to look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial. (Louw, Nida)
This means that no matter the circumstances we face today, we have good reason to get out of bed and face whatever awaits us. The Christian should be the most positive and encouraging of all people, because we live in constant anticipation that God is taking history toward restoration through Jesus Christ.
It started with the writing of the Old Testament documents (15:4), and it came to fullness in the Good News. Let’s lift up our eyes with great expectation of what God will do next. This isn't just something we are having to wait for at the culminating return of Christ; this is also a joy we can start to experience right now.
“The title ‘the God of hope’ is perhaps suggested by the mention of ‘hope’ at the end of the immediately preceding quotation from Isaiah 11:10. Cf. 14:17, where peace and joy are blessings of the kingdom of God. Because ‘the God of hope’ gives his children hope in himself, they may enjoy these blessings now." - Bruce, F. F. (1985). Romans: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 6, p. 257)