This world can be a hopeless place. Daily news events and the actions of people can leave a person feeling discouraged about life and the future. As believers, we hear the word hope a lot, but on occasion it can feel quite illusive. So, with circumstances often working against hope, what are the specific building blocks of a hopeful heart?

The answer involves two parts, with the first being the “filling”. Consider this verse:

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 NKJV

God is the one who fills us with hope, but the interesting thing is what happens at the beginning. Before hope is realized, joy and peace must be present in the heart; and they are directly tied to belief. What a person believes to be true, has everything to do with their outlook on tomorrow. When there’s faith in God’s leadership, there’s hope about what the day may bring; and through the power of the Holy Spirit, it’s not just present, it’s abounding. “Now may the God of hope fill you…”