“Oh!  May the God of hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope.”  Romans 15:13 MSG

This verse may sound light and fluffy.  But it isn’t.  This verse is about real power.

Joy here is not happiness from external circumstances, but an inward calm delight that overflows into exceeding joy.  Maintaining joy in the midst of turmoil and trials is how you are strengthened to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Peace here is not absence of conflict but rather peace in spite of conflict.  This peace allows you to prosper no matter the circumstances.  It gives you clarity in chaos.  It prevents you from making choices out of anger and emotion.

Hope is about anticipation with pleasure attached to it.  It’s about the expectation of good.  God is the God of anticipation of good.  He’s looking forward to filling you with joy.  He’s looking forward to filling you with peace.  Will you let Him?  Will you receive it?

He is awaiting with pleasure the day you understand the power you have at your disposal and begin to walk in it. God wants to see you prosper as your soul prospers.  This begins with receiving and learning to walk in joy and peace, with an expectation of good.  That is true power right there.