Words of Hope for Lent (and Always)

Mar 04 2024 Words of Hope for Lent (and Always)

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  

Romans 15:13 NKJV

 Elpis (Greek): expectation, hope
Usage: hope, expectation, trust, confidence. 

Strong’s Concordance

My neighbor, Suzie, stood smiling at the shared mailboxes as I approached. I had not seen her for a few months, and we dove deep immediately. She shared that she was celebrating 90 days of sobriety. All this after experiencing significant loss over two years, including the deaths of her husband and adult daughter. These heart-wrenching passings took her to the bottom of a hopeless pit.

Then, through the support of a 12-step group, family, friends, and a new identity in Christ, she is now a woman abounding in hope-filled trust; I could almost see it pouring through her body. She told me that Jesus is the God of hope. It was a powerful exchange. Suzie will experience rocky seasons as a recovering alcoholic, but she is determined to keep her eyes fixed on Jesus and to keep her life immersed in her support systems.

Easter will be a different kind of wonderful for her now!

As I walked back home, my mind went to today’s key scripture from Romans, a verse long familiar to me. Yet, after my time with Suzie, its meaning turned brighter as I was reminded that our Savior is indeed the God of brilliant hope.

Food for thought this Lenten season.

In this passage, we are instructed to abound in this hope. This instruction is from the Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome from Corinth. Paul had never been to the church in Rome, yet in reading this letter, you sense his deep love for these people and his eagerness to meet them.

The Roman church was a mix of Jews and Gentiles, full of factions and disunity. Long-established walls of racial and ethnic prejudice were breaking down. Here, for the first time in history, Gentiles and Jews were gathering in homes and sharing meals. Paul knew if there was any chance of them loving one another and living in unity, they would need the God of Hope to inundate their community.

This new church lived in a first-century Roman culture oozing with depravity and sexual immorality, drunkenness, the brutality of the arena practices, and idol worship. Not exactly a positive place for new believers.

Paul implored the Roman church to abound, not by their own power but by the power of the Holy Spirit, meaning that God’s Spirit lived in them. This powerful force gave them peace, joy, and the ability to abound in supernatural trust and expectation, to walk in faith in a wild time and place in history and the church.

Oh, how fitting Paul’s words are for modern Christians living in this wild time and place in history. Often, I forget this incredible truth – that the Spirit of God lives in me! I find it vital to remember that our hope in a heavenly future and our Heavenly Father infuses abounding hope into our present, earthly lives.

This is not wishful thinking. I want to be knee-deep in God’s hope because it’s abysmal standing knee-deep in discouragement and hopelessness. And sometimes I get stuck here when I forget to turn to the God of Hope and live in anticipation of what He promised (see Isaiah 46:8-11 and Jeremiah 29:11).

So, amidst life’s trials, heartbreak, disunity, and cultural turmoil, we must return to the God of Hope. One day at a time, this Lenten season (and always), we put our trust in Him. Like Suzie is doing, it is essential to seek support through scripture, friends, prayer, and church. Let’s hold on to Jesus, our God of Hope.

Now, go abound, my friend.

Reflection: This Lenten season, do you find yourself abounding in hope or standing knee-deep in discouragement?