He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed (I Peter 2:24).
Because of the consequential sacrifice on the tree over two thousand years ago, there is incomparable hope for humanity. While there is recognition that challenges abound in the world, it is possible to experience pathways to victory. In theological concepts, the idea of interpretive meaning or hermeneutics is a process. This means that interpretations exist in the context of divine possibilities which allow one to embrace meanings beyond what is occurring in their earthly realities.
Romans 15:13 encourages individuals of faith in these words: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you TRUST [author added caps] in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." This benediction, offering of blessing, contains an assertion with a promise. It is loaded with pronouncements of God's goodness, so that the encouragement of positive outcomes is a reflection.
It is uplifting to meditate on God's nature as one anticipates wondrous possibilities yet unfulfilled. This is what hope assures: there are glorious promises awaiting fulfillment. The belief in pending manifestation of desired results requires genuine dependence on God's ability. Such dependence aligns with the hermeneutic, interpretive meaning, of divine trust. Jesus often stated: "According to your faith, will it be done to you" (Matthew 9:29b).
It is commonly known that the Holy Word indicates faith is the substance of things HOPED [author added caps] for (Hebrews 11: 1a). Biblically speaking, then, hope is attached to faith. Thus, hopeful interpretations of what faith means present a sense of contentment with the ability of God to unfold pathways to victory in "victim" situations. Furthermore, the capacity to peacefully wait for the movement of God becomes more probable. When this positioning occurs, the "so that" in Romans 15:13 has more credibility: one can have faith because of the bubbling up (filling) of joy and peace from God's Spirit operating within one's being.
Stay tuned for how this bubbling up may occur in the thoughts for September 2024.
Rev. Patricia Robinson Williams, Ph. D., D. Min., LMFT
Co-Founder and Principal Pastoral Psychotherapist
Sacred Scripts, Inc.
Writer, Wisdom Pages Trademark
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