Day 7
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit"
Romans 15:13
My Prayer
Yahweh, my Heavenly Father, thank You for this scripture.Y I praise You for the power that is in it. I thank You for what You will do through it (Isaiah 55:11). Please reveal its meaning to our minds (Psalm 119:18). For all who read here, please lead them to pray this page with me...
My Father, You deserve all praise. Joy and peace come to us as we trust You... as Your Holy Spirit empowers us into hope.
Paul's words as You gave them to him were:
- "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
When Paul wrote "may the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace", was Paul asking You to fill the Corinthian church with joy and peace... or was Paul merely telling the Corinthians of Paul's wish that they be filled with joy and peace? In other words, does the phrase "may God" indicate a prayer or a wish?
I fear that the rule follower will have more difficulty understanding these intimate spiritual interactions that one who walks by Your Spirit. Lord, please grant understanding!
I thank You for revealing the intimacy that Paul had with You. As Paul wrote those words he was speaking in Your presence (2 Corinthians 2:17, 12:19), aware that You, Your Son and Holy Spirit each continually dwell within him and all believers (Ephesians 4:6, Galatians 2:20, 1 Corinthians 6:19). Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing". He was keenly aware of Your intimate presence as he thought, spoke and wrote.
So, as Paul wrote the above passage, Romans 15:13, he was communicating with You and the church at Corinth at the same time. He addressed You in the third person when he said "may the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace in believing..."4.3L
From Esther 5:3-4, I Iearned that in ancient times sovereigns were addressed directly in the third person to show respect.
"Then answered Esther, and said, 'My petition and my request is; If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare'" (Esther 5:7-8).
The words "let the king and Haman come" was a request. "Let the king" from Esther 5:7-8 is similar to "may God" from Romans 15:13, in that both are requests.
So, Esther spoke directly to the king. But instead of addressing the king by his name, she directly addressed the king as "the king", showing respect for the authority of the king's office.4.3L This is similar to the time that Michael the archangel said, "The Lord rebuke you" to the devil.4.3L Angels see Your face continually. Michael was looking at You when he spoke to the devil.
When Paul wrote to the Romans saying "may the God of hope..." Paul was writing to the Romans and speaking to You at the same time. My Father, please make us as aware as Paul was... that you hear all our words and all our thoughts. I pray for myself and all who read here that You would grant that continual focus on Your presence as we think, speak, and write.
My Father, Your words reveal Your power and our need:
- "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Our joy and peace come to us from You as we believe. Faith is a reward in itself. Faith feels good. But fear and anxiety feel horrible. Often our fear in a circumstance creates more misery than the object of our fear. One who encounters trials with a strong faith, does not feel the misery of fear. In faith there is no fear (Matthew 8:26).
And the hope that we experience as we trust You comes from the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Hope is supernatural. Praise to Your name. All of these blessings come to us through the prayer of faith.
So my Lord, for myself and all who read here, I pray the Endorsed Prayer of Faith... please multiply our faith.4.3a Fill us with joy, peace and hope as we trust You... as we trust You through the faith which You multiply in us through our prayer.
Praise to Your name!
In this passage, Romans 15:13, You revealed a few of the powers in us by Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for revealing this in Your word! For, how can we walk by the Spirit, if we don't know what He does?
Heavenly Father, teach us the powers of the Holy Spirit. By Your Spirit, lead Your children to click this link: "Power From the Holy Spirit"
You deserve all praise!
Amen.
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About this Devotional
You are reading the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional Series, which is subchapter 3.7 of the free, online book Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path. In the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional, readers learn how to how to walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is one way the New Testament describes fellowship with God, the subject of this online book.
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