Meet Susannah Gullette

Have you ever thought about the words we use so much that they lose their meaning the more you say them? Words like forever, promise, all, and so on. As a kid, I said things like, “I promise Mom, I’ll never ask for anything else because these shoes are all I’ll need forever.” But those words quickly lost their meaning when I asked for something else. Inevitably, those shoes became too small, worn out, or uncool.

Thankfully, when God says these words, He means them. In this passage, all is repeated three times: “all you Gentiles” (Romans 15:11), “all the peoples” (Romans 15:11), and “all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). This emphasis reminds us that every single person is invited to be a child of God (1 Timothy 2:4). Beyond that, it’s through Him that we find all joy and peace. We can’t find joy and peace anywhere else because ALL of it is found through Him. So why do we continue to try finding it in things of this world?

This leads to our next over-used word: promise. God keeps His promises. He promised He would send His Son as our Savior through the “root of Jesse” (Romans 15:12). He fulfilled this promise when He gave His only Son, Jesus, to all people—Jews and Gentiles—so that we might have hope and eternal life.

The Lord not only holds to the genuine meaning of overused words, but He also allows us to claim His promises through the Holy Spirit. Joy and peace are free gifts that come from trust in God. However, we are only able to trust in God through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). We need the Lord’s power to accept His perfect gift.

When you accept His gift of joy and peace through faith in His promises, how does that bring hope to your life? For me, it’s much easier to live in the promise of joy and peace when I finally let go of my planner mentality, allow the Lord to lead my life, and put my hope in Him.