God of Hope,
I confess, as lovely as every word in this verse is,
it’s often hard to hope.
Stories marked by earthly hopes
disappointed
often tamp down our hope.
I pray for myself and for my friends
who may feel the same way:
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
transform our skeptical hearts into hearts
that trust in our God of hope.
Transform our impatient hearts into hearts
that wait eagerly for the glorious work
our God of hope will do in us and in others.
As you transform our hearts,
fill us with your joy—
the capacity to enjoy you and enjoy the wonder-full story
you are writing in this world and in our lives.
As you transform our hearts,
fill us with your peace—
the capacity to rest in you and to believe
that you are writing a new story of wholeness, harmony, and unity.
Finally, as you transform us and fill us with your joy and peace,
may our hope spill over into every crack and crevice of our lives
and the lives of those around us,
sprouting forth in bright blossoms of new creation glory.
In Jesus’ hope-giving name. Amen.
Read Romans 15:1-13.
