The Praiseworthy God

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15:13)

St. Paul is speaking to us. He calls God the God of hope. He is a God of hope. When things look topsy-turvy and very hopeless, He gives us hope. As we remember all His good to us, it creates hope in us. He is not good to us because we deserve it, but when He sees in us any desire towards Him, He blesses us. He gives us joy and peace, the best tonics to this body. As we pray more, we get the power of the Holy Spirit, who increases the hope we have in God. When we are working against odds, the God of hope fills us with hope. Faith, Hope and Love are the powers released in us when the Holy Spirit comes. Faith that is creative, hope that does not fail and the love of God in its unceasing flow comes to us. When David was in a desperate situation he encouraged himself in the Lord. ".... but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (I Samuel 30:6). David was with 600 people and their families in the wilderness. When he was away the families of these men and his own wives were carried away by the enemies. The followers of David were very angry and spoke of stoning him. They were desperate. David had fled from Saul and from his home and relatives. Now his few followers and trusted men wanted to stone him. But he encouraged himself in the LORD his God. He thought of what God had done to him in the past, in the fight with Goliath and with the lion and the bear. Count your blessings and name them one by one. We do not encourage ourselves by counting our blessings. All our disappointments are because we went our own way. God is not responsible for them but we are. God is only praiseworthy and never blameworthy.