The God of Hope

A Certain Hope in Uncertain Days: 30 Days of Hope-filled Focus

Day 5: The God of Hope

Romans 15:13, “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.”

In the novel, “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., an important book comes to light.  It is entitled, “What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?”  The chief character in his book is anxious to read it, but when he does, he finds that it doesn’t take long.  The whole book consists of one word, “Nothing.”  Even if man had existed for a million years—which he hasn’t—apart from God’s intervention there would be no legitimate reason or basis for hope (Cf. Ephesians 2:12).

But God would have HIs people to be filled with hope.  Because of Him they have good reason to be even amidst troubling times.  Romans 15:14 constitutes a prayer by the Apostle Paul for the readers of his epistle.  It is a prayer that we might “abound in hope.” Hope, as the term is used in Scripture, refers to a confident expectation in an unseen, future, reality.

Confident expectation regarding the believer’s favorable future is availed to him by the God of hope.  God is both the source and giver of hope.  God Himself—who declares “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10)—has no need of hope.  He who “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11), knows already what will come to pass.  Hope is a creature need.  Unlike God, we live and exist in the realm of uncertainty.  We lack the ability on our own to foresee or dictate the future.  Confidence regarding a favorable future must be ministered to us from One who has the power and ability to achieve that which is hoped for.  The God of hope is favorably disposed towards His children and is absolutely trustworthy in all that He has promised (Cf. Romans 15:4).  He is our reason for hope (Cf. Lamentations 3:21-24).

God is able to fill His children with hope.  The Holy Spirit indwells every child of God.  Jesus called Him the Helper (parakletos, lit. “called to one’s side”).  Preeminent amongst His many tasks, is His ministry as Helper, is His work in directing our hearts “Christ-ward” (Cf. John 16:13-14).  It is in Jesus Christ that we find “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”  It is He who has caused us to be “born again to a living hope” through HIs resurrection (Cf. 1 Peter 1:3).  It is He who constitutes, in His imminent return, the “blessed hope” of the believer (Cf. Titus 2:13).  As the Spirit of God works to apply the Word of God to our hearts (Cf. Romans 15:4), He ministers confident expectation regarding all that which God has prepared for us.

God’s desires that we “abound in hope.”  The word “abound” translates a Greek term meaning “to be abundantly furnished, to abound in a thing” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of OT and NT Words).  It is elsewhere used of the fragments left over after the feeding of the multitude (Cf. John 6:12-13).  In this context the term speaks of an overabundance of confident expectation.  It is in the present tense and therefore pictures God’s saints as continually abounding in Spirit-imparted hope.

J B Phillips paraphrases this prayer of Paul this way, “May the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant and alive.”  Is your outlook “radiant and alive?  By the Spirit it can be.  These are troubling times.  “Out in the highways and by-ways of life, many are weary and sad.”  God would have us to “carry the sunshine where darkness is rife.”  He desires for us to be filled with this kind of hope to such an extent that others would see it in us and wonder why we have it (Cf. 1 Peter 3:15).  Because of our relationship with the God of hope we have good reason to abound in hope.

 

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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