Hope Provides Peace and Joy

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, HCSB)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, ERV)

I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, VOICE)

One of the best things about weddings and funerals is the opportunity to see and connect with those whom one has not seen in a long time. Yesterday, that held true for me as I attended a funeral. Though relatively brief interactions, I was blessed to see and greet a former teacher and colleague, a classmate and teammate, and a long-time friend with whom my path crosses regularly and randomly. There is something about being in the presence of those one has known that brings joy and peace. For those of us who hope in Christ, there is the comfort that we will see one another again; be it sooner, later, and ultimately into eternity. Goodbyes are merely “see you laters”. May God, the source of all hope, bless you with joy and peace as His love overflows in and through you.

The God of all hope,

Fills our hearts with peace;

For where there is hope,

Faith and love increase.

May we choose to trust,

And never let go;

God, our Provider,

From Whom all good flows.

Thank You, Lord Jesus,

That You are our Source;

Peace, joy and comfort,

As we run our course.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our Provider of every good and perfect gift. Thank You that You grant us hope, fill us with Your peace, and provide us with joy and goodness that overflows to those around us. Forgive us for the times that we attempt to navigate on our own. Teach us to trust in You in all things, for You are where hope and help come from. Show us how to love those around us in ways that pass on Your goodness and kindness and grow faith and hope in each heart. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to fill us with hope in You, and praise You for the peace and joy that follow. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace. – Psalm 29:11

Joy and Peace Through 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. – (Romans 15:13, NIV)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, ERV)

I pray that God, the Source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, VOICE)

 

Hope is where it all begins. When we have hope, we have all that is required to live an abundant life. Hope is that knowing deep within us, that there is more than what we are experiencing in the here and now. The hope that comes from God is eternal, and grants peace and joy, even in the parts of our journey where such things do not make sense. In fact, hope in Him, fills us to overflowing, so much so, that the peace and joy present within us, begin to spill over into the lives of those around us. My mom is an incredible example of this. Despite having suffered a massive stroke that left the right side of her body uncooperative, she has hope for healing, and the peace and joy that she holds in her heart, overflow to those around her as she navigates this journey to her recovery. Yes, she is human and has tough moments, but truly, she has joy and peace and is filled with hope for a full recovery as she perseveres in this battle. Her willingness to do the work has already aided in her regaining much of what was lost. She is walking with a walker, and her speech is back to normal. Though waiting and working on the right arm, she is trusting in the hope that she already knows. May we all be filled with His hope, so that peace and joy are abundant and hope overflows by His Spirit within us.

The greatest update about mom for yesterday was that her medical insurance card finally arrived. With that, appointments can be scheduled and in-home therapies can begin soon. I imagine much of the day was quite routine, with walking and stretching, some games and perhaps a movie or two. At day’s end, I received a Marco Polo video from mom and my sister as I was about to go to sleep. It was a sweet close to my day, and a blessed encouragement, assuring me that all is well.

 

May the God of hope,

Come fill you today;

With peace and His joy,

And flood you with grace.

For God’s tenderness,

Meets our hearts and minds;

Brings calm in chaos,

His presence, divine.

So, trust in the Lord,

Lean full into Him;

His hold is steady,

As we let love in.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your hope fills us with joy and peace to overflowing. Thank You that as we hope in You, our faith grows, and we see You move mountains that stand before us. Forgive us for our fears and doubts. Teach us to trust You more, no matter what we see standing in our way. Show us how to love, support and encourage those around us in a way that offers peace, joy and hope where it is lacking. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in You. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. – Hebrews 6:19

Commit to Capable Hands

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, NIV)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, ERV)

I pray that God, the Source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, VOICE)

 

Though I likely have utilized this verse in the last six weeks, though I could not tell you for sure, it is a necessary reminder for me, as He is the hope that I must hold, no matter the frustrations, disappointments, or waves of sorrow that come my way. I say that not because there has been anything bad in the last 24 hours, as mom is well and we are continuing to navigate together with joy and hope; rather, it is a personal battle as I have to trust and be at peace for the things that I am missing at home while I am here. Saturday, I missed a memorial for an incredible woman whom I loved and worked with for many years. She and her family embraced me and my boys, and we did the same with she and hers. It hurt my heart to not be present for the family, yet I know they understood my absence, and fully support me in my own journey with my mom. Then, yesterday, I was unable to attend the graduation celebration of one of my best friend’s daughter’s, whom I have known since before she was born. I have watched her grow and thrive, blossom and evolve, into a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, wonderful and warm young lady, with a bright future ahead of her. They too, were gracious about my absence, and would not want me to be in any other place than right here, right now. Though mom had a rough night and did not sleep well, as we were up together at least four times during the night, I know that I am meant to be here. This morning, as I sat at the kitchen table and took in the view, the sunrise was extra colorful. It lasted only a few moments, and then the bold colors faded to a bit more muted grey, yet I know what I had witnessed, was a moment for me to enjoy in awe and wonder, to remember His promises of faithfulness forever.

Today is a new day, and will be busy as we will take our first official outing together with only, she and I. Mom has physical therapy at home this morning at 8:30, followed by an appointment with her neurologist at 11:00 am. The neurology appointment is in town, so we will be getting out of the house and entering civilization. This is a prayer point for sure, as mom has had zero interest in going anywhere; she does not really want to see people unexpectedly nor unplanned. She is still learning to navigate all of this new, and is struggling with how to allow others to walk alongside her as she travels this long road of recovery and rehabilitation after a stroke. Slowly, she is allowing others in; but it is at her pace, in her time. Megan and I are fiercely protecting her wishes, so please do not push if she is not ready. Requests are welcome, but do not be offended if a “not yet” is the answer. May His hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him to the point of overflowing.

 

May the God of hope,

Fill you once again;

With His joy and peace,

As You let Him in.

Disappointment comes,

As do sorrows too;

Yet ever the Lord,

Starts the next day new.

Let go of what was,

Choose live in today;

Trust for tomorrow,

God will make a way.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the source of all hope, joy and peace as we trust in You. Forgive us for allowing the weight of what we want verses what we are meant to do to burden us. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would not carry what is not ours, and that we would place all in Your capable hands. Show us how to love those around us in a way that extends hope and joy and peace in a way that instills hope where it has been absent. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust all in Your hands and release all that is not ours to control. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26

 

 

 

 

Be Filled

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, NIV)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, ERV)

I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, VOICE)

 

Hope is such an important thing to know. In Christ, hope provides joy and peace as we choose trust in Him. The more we know hope, the more it flows from us to others, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Each one of us has been created to be a messenger of this hope. Our decision to live out life in His love, creates opportunities for others to see and know what hope really means. May we ever seek our Savior to fill us up to overflowing, so that we pass on His joy and peace to all those around us.

 

May the God of hope,

Fill you with all joy;

And peace found in trust,

As grace He’ll employ.

The more we choose trust,

The more we shall know;

Love that flows from God,

As hope makes it show.

Teach us to trust You,

So hope is made clear;

Loving Creator,

May we choose draw near.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and grace. Thank You that You are our hope, and the source of all joy and peace. Forgive us for looking anywhere other than unto You for help and hope. Teach us to trust You more, as Your love grants us hope so that we may know Your peace and joy. Show us how to love those around us, ever extending the good in You that grants hope. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to be our hope as You fill us with Your love and grant us peace and joy in You. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. – Psalm 25:5

Hope Makes All the Difference

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, NLT)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, ERV)

I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, VOICE)

 

Hope makes all of the difference in our lives. When we know the hope that is held in God, we find joy and peace in our faith, even when our circumstances are less than ideal. God, in His goodness, fills us to overflowing, so that we may demonstrate the hope we hold in Him. Our joy and peace that comes through trust in Him is the very thing that extends hope to those around us. May we seek the Lord, our source of hope, and pray that He infuses the lives of those around us with His joy and peace to grow faith so that hope is overflowing.

 

To our Source of hope, 

O God I do pray;

That You will infuse,

Lives with Your great grace.

Grace that brings Your peace,

Abundance of joy;

That builds people up,

May Your hope employ.

For as our faith grows,

We learn well to rise;

To hold fast to hope,

Your love realized.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can pray to You and seek You to be the source of hope in our lives. Thank You that You hear us and answer with Your joy and peace as You grow our faith. Forgive us for not seeking You to be our source. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would come to You in every circumstance – be it in seasons of blessings or struggle, as You are the One who supplies all that we need. Show us how to love those around us in a way that offers hope and brings joy and peace where it is absent. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God as we seek You to be our hope in all things. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. – Psalm 31:24