Yesterday we spoke of dear folks who live their lives in fearfulness and fretfulness. Let’s think just a little more about this as we experience the concluding days of 2023 and anticipate the beginning days of 2024.

Let me share a wonderful verse and then a few thoughts about it.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Don’t be confused by the word “hope.” This is not the same word that we might use when saying that we hope it won’t rain today. In our text the word “hope” is not a wishful statement. The word that the Apostle Paul used is elpis which means “a joyful expectation.”

This is a word of confidence and assurance. God gives to His children the confident expectation that He will do everything that He says He will do. He will accomplish everything that He has purposed will come to pass. This gives us joy and peace in believing.

That’s what Everett and Paulette discovered in their newfound faith. In fact, Paulette was overheard telling her pastor, “Ernie used to worry about everything. What a change has come into his life now that he knows Christ as his Savior. Even when things were hard at work this past week, he had such a joy in being confident in the Lord.”

How does this impact you and me? If you know Christ as Savior, then you know the God of all hope. He wants to fill you with joy and peace in believing so that you may abound in this confidence. It doesn’t mean that you will never be concerned about things. It doesn’t mean that you will not experience stress from time to time. It simply means that God wants to strengthen your joyful expectation in Him. Joy and peace is what the world so greatly desires. I wish everyone would discover that joy and peace found in Christ.