“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
Lord Jesus, I woke up angry over Russian’s ongoing pillaging of Ukraine, heartbroken about friends’ (plural) battle with brain cancer, weary of the political immaturity and shenanigans in my own country, and sensitive to how many friends in vocational ministry are spent and in need of a Holy Spirit visitation. But I also woke up to you, and this heart and gut centering verse. So, dear Jesus…
Fill us with hope... the incomparable hope of the Gospel. If we could see, taste, and smell the future you have secured for us, our fears would shrink, our worries would wilt, and our endurance would be recharged. All the brokenness, evil, and madness in our world will be eradicated—for you have defeated all of it and secured the Day of all things new.
Fill us with joy... because you pray for our joy (Jn.17:13), and your joy is our strength (Neh.8:10). What kind of joy? The joy of knowing you are with us, for us, and in us. The joy of knowing you love and delight in us just as much as our Father loves and delights in you. The joy of envisioning the Day the entire earth will be filled with your glory and beauty. Make it soon, Jesus.
Fill us with peace... not the peace the world gives, but your peace (Jn.14:27)—the peace that passes all comprehension because it has no comparisons. The peace of knowing you are sovereign over the world’s kings, our kids, and every crisis. Peace with you, peace by you, peace in you, the peace of living under your occupied throne and loving smile. Thank you, Jesus, and So Very Amen.