Romans 5:5 | God’s Hope
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Isn’t it amazing how God transforms even our suffering into hope? I’m always drawn to this passage when I think of God’s heart for others. God has so much hope stored up for his people!
Sometimes hope is hard to see for ourselves. This is the power of mentors, coaches, and trainers. People outside of our situation often have a better perspective of our situation than we do. Even though we are the ones pressing through the trial, our focus is on the obstacle in front of us. If it is a particularly difficult and enduring challenge, then it is likely our vision has become totally fixated on the problem ahead. We lose sight of what God is doing in us, through us, and around us.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I have definitely been in seasons of life where the only way to get through was to put my head down and grind. When I ran distance races on the high school track team, there were plenty of instances where I had to just look at my feet, run as hard as I could, and stop thinking about how many laps were left in the race. My body was so tired that I was at risk of giving up if I thought about having four or five laps left around the track.
Off to the wings would be one of my coaches or teammates cheering me on. “You’ve got this, Nate!” Their perspective mattered so much more than mine. I was stuck in the physical strain of running one of my most challenging races, and they were on the sidelines watching me run. My coaches and teammates knew what I was capable of. They had seen me run in countless practices and compete in other track meets. They had watched me cross the finish line and expected no less in this race.
I would grow wearier and wearier with every step—more vulnerable to giving up. Yet with every meter I advanced, my coaches and teammates had more hope to offer me. I remember that we would always cheer on the teammate who seemed the most tired and the nearest to giving up. These were the people the team felt most compelled to champion.
Somehow, a few supporters joined in cheering me on would be enough to keep me running harder, faster, and stronger. Their encouragement would be the final boost I would need to sprint through the finish line, even with my legs feeling like jello!
What does it say about the human heart’s relationship to hope? I ran harder and with renewed energy because someone offered me hope. I didn’t have any physical boost in power, but perhaps it was just a mental shift away from despair and toward hope. It is incredible what people of hope are capable of.
I think Paul’s writing in Roman’s five perfectly describes the journey of running a distance race. Through practice, discipline, and workouts, suffering produced greater endurance in me as a young athlete. My endurance produced a sort of character surrounding my ability as a runner. This character, or capacity, gave me hope at the beginning of the race that I could do this.
Yet the hope God gives is far more substantial than my confidence to run a mile or two. God’s hope comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit that is poured into our hearts. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate cheerleader. The Spirit keeps us on track with a hope that doesn’t lead to shame. Consider today how valuable it is to have the Spirit of Hope living within you. Ask God to renew hope in your heart and draw near to his presence.
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