Romans 15:7-13, A Prayer for Abundant Hope (3)

What request does Paul present? “fill you with all joy and peace”

The Gentiles were hopeless people.  Paul said this in Ephesians 3:12, that since they were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and the promises were made to Israel, they were therefore without hope and without God.  That is the epitome of hopelessness.  What characterizes hopeless people?  They are depressed and filled with worry.  Thus, Paul prays for these Gentile believers, of whom he says now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 3:13).  And he prays that God would fill them with those things that fit life under the New Covenant rather than the weak and unprofitable (Heb. 7:18), old, Mosaic Covenant: joy and peace.  Remember the three great Christian qualities: faith, hope and love?  The greatest is love.  But faith and hope are essentials.  And there is no perseverance in the Christian life without hope.  So he emphasizes two of the nine fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  That’s because our goal is not just to make it to the end, to persevere; the goal is to display all patience and longsuffering with joy (Col. 1:11).  If you live under the new covenant (i.e. if you are a believer in Christ), you have all the spiritual blessings afforded by the covenant, and discouragement and worry should be the furthest things away from you.

Does Paul place any conditions on the request? “in believing”

This is a condition.  Paul says it like this: “may God fill you as you are believing.”  You can’t be in the new relationship with God apart from faith in Christ as your Savior.  You can’t experience the peace and joy of that relationship unless you are walking in faith.  It’s that simple!

What resources does Paul mention that make it possible for God to answer this prayer? “by the power of the Holy Spirit”

Again, there is not a lot to be said because it has already been said.  What is the essence of the New Covenant?  It is that the Spirit of God indwells the believer.  It you don’t have the Spirit you don’t have Christ (Rom. 8:9).  But if you have Christ, you have the Spirit.  We need to remember what it means to walk in the Spirit (our recent studies in the “fruit of the Spirit” referred to this often).  We must be filled with the Spirit, meaning we have set our minds on the Word, Living and Written (Rom. 8:5).  We must not grieve Him by disobedience (Eph. 4:30) or put out His fire by neglect of the things of the Spirit (1 Th. 5:19-21).

What is accomplished by fulfillment of the request? “abundant hope”

When God fills you with His joy and peace you will exude hope, without trying.  This is important for many reasons but perhaps the greatest is this, from 1 Pt. 3:15: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.  The world gains nothing from depressed, worrying Christians!!