Overflow with Hope
By Tiffany Thibault
May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13
When my girls were younger, they loved to play tea party. They would lay out a fancy tablecloth and set the table with their play tea set. They would fill the plates with treats from the kitchen, and then dress up in their princess gowns with plastic tiaras tilted on their heads. They layered on as much of their jewelry as they could, and happily clunked around the house in my heels. They excitedly invited me, along with all of their favorite dolls, to feast at their tea party.
When they first began to host these tea parties, the tea party would be out on the patio or in the kitchen which had a tile floor. You see, these little girls, in their efforts to be the best hostess, would pour and pour and pour their “tea” (water) into my tea cup. They poured so much water that the “tea” filled the cup, overflowing onto the saucer and dripping onto the tea table and sometimes to the floor. They were unable to figure out how to stop pouring when the cup reached its limit.
As the tea party hostesses grew, they continued to have elaborate tea parties with me, progressing eventually to real china and actual tea. By this time, they had learned how to fill the cup without overflowing it.
Our verse talks about hope. My girls had many hopes for their tea parties. They wanted to feel pretty, all dressed up. They wanted to enjoy all the specialness that came along with playing hostess. They wanted to create a special moment for us.
In our lives we need hope. Hope is what we cling to, that promises that our tomorrow will be better, that things will somehow work out. Without hope we lose our focus and our strength to persevere.
This verse tells us that God is our hope. If we have a personal relationship with Him, then we can turn to him at all times. When we turn to Him, trusting that He has things under control, then we can move through our days with joy and peace. The interesting thing about our verse is that we must trust in Him first. Then he fills us with joy and peace. That in turn causes us to overflow with hope.
I need overflowing hope in the midst of my busyness, in the center of my struggles. I need overflowing hope more than ever before, as I move into a new phase of my girls nearing high school graduation and my parents growing older.
We desperately need hope that overflows our lives, in the new struggles that the Coronavirus has brought to our lives. Job losses, financial struggles, illness, fear. This world needs to see this hope in you. This verse promises you so much hope, that it overflows and changes those around you!
Hebrews 6:18 says to hold fast to the hope set before you (that’s Jesus). Will you join me today in trusting Jesus a little more than yesterday, holding tightly to the hope that He has already given you, the hope of salvation, the promise that He will provide for you, the truth that He will never leave you or forsake you? Can you trust that He will move and work in your life and through you today?
When my girls moved from their plastic tea set to my fine china, I reminded them to hold it tightly. I knew their little hearts would be devastated if they dropped it and it shattered. So their little fingers held it so tightly that their knuckles were white, yet their pinky was stinking out in the proper tea fashion (they thought).
As you hold onto the hope you already have, and are then filled with joy and peace as you completely trust Him for your circumstances, you better hold on tightly! God will begin to pour so much hope in you that it will overflow. Your life will certainly be changed by His hope, joy and peace.
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two teenage daughters and one very large dog. She homeschools her girls, and loves to write and speak about Jesus. She loves long walks, coffee and anything chocolate. You can find her over at www.TiffanyThibault.com.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Thursday, 03 November 2022.
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