Daily Reading: Romans 15:12-13:
And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” 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.
If you are not very hopeful in some area of your life- bring that thing to the God of hope and you will be filled with joy and peace (Romans 15:13).
Where does hope come from?
Romans 15:13 tells us the answer: “May the God of peace/(elpis)” Elpis in the Greek means author of hope. So, hope comes from God. He is the author of hope.
The only source of true joy and peace is God Himself. The only way by which God can give any man joy and peace is by giving him Himself (Romans 15:13).
I. The privileges of true Christians.
1. Joy.
2. Peace.
3. Hope.
II. The method of securing them.
1. God the source.
2. Faith in Christ the means.
3. The Holy Ghost the agent
(J. Lyth, D.D.)
How Do You Experience Joy and Peace? There is Only One Way: Trust in Him.
It is not that you may or may not abound in hope, it is you will abound in abundance with hope whenever you trust in God and it is a work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). This is because the Greek word that is used is perisseuō which means to make to abound, to be in abundance.
Before Paul would make this profound statement about God in Romans 15:13 that he is the “God of hope”- he first gave the greatest example of God delivering on something His people had hoped for the most, for the longest amount of time. It was through God delivering on a centuries-upon-centuries old promise that the title “God of hope” becomes most appropriate. What is the #1 thing the Jews hoped for? A Messiah. The God of hope came through when His people had all but given up hope. Now, Paul isn’t writing this letter to the Jews but to the Gentile Romans. The twist is that these are the very same people the Jews were hoping the God of hope would send a Messiah to destroy. But the Messiah came to bring about salvation to all people, even the enemy of God’s people the Romans. Why? Because He is the God of hope for all people who would simply put their trust in Him.
Romans 15:12 reads like this: The Root of Jesse (Jesus Christ) will happen to lead the nations (Jews and Gentiles) and in Him the Gentiles will hope or wait for salvation with joy and full confidence.
So, Paul quotes the prophecy of Isaiah (11:10) as a reminder of what was most hoped for a Savior/Messiah) that God delivered on the promise He made 750 years after He made the announcement. The answer to the promise was better than what the Jews imagined, it was salvation available to all people who believe.