God’s Word Shaped Dee’s Heart and Life

Dee writes:

Choosing one verse as suggested by the healing room’s prayer ministry has had a tremendous impact in my life this past year. I chose Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

At first I was not sure how it would be resourceful beyond the memorization of the prayer. It is a prayer that Paul releases over the believer in Rome.

In February of 2022 this prayer and verse came up, as I closed out over two years of biblical counseling. Once I chose it, I noticed this verse kept resurfacing literally daily if not weekly through bible studies, devotionals, sermons, and text messages.

First, I began to thank God for it. Then, I began to dissect it.

“The God of Hope” –  Wow! So He is Hope! He authors Hope! He dispenses Hope! And, Hope abounds!

“Fill me with all joy and peace” – Yay! I long for Joy that cannot be contained. Happiness and zeal ebb and flow but the joy that comes from this boundless Hope that Jesus is bringing me is inexhaustible! Peace, well, now there is a HOPE need there! 

I petitioned the Lord to once and for all release me from anxiety and depression and grief.

So, the Joy He promised was sure to over shadow (and has) every bit of grief and anxiety and depression.

If a circumstance or incident threatened to attach itself to familiar feelings and thoughts that bred fear, anxiety, worry, doubt or depression, I would recite this verse out loud. As I did this, I would literally see, hear, feel and experience a flood of peace.It was as if I was looking out the window at a storm, while I was inside a shelter, experiencing warmth, stillness, comfort and rest. The peace I longed to have begun to abide in me while I was in my car, in my living room, in conversations with others and in all sorts of circumstances.

Holy Spirit began teaching me to hold on to this verse no matter what I was facing. The Holy Spirit kept reminding me that the gift I give back to the Lord that activates this prayer in Romans 15:13 is BELIEVING! This part of the verse, it’s so full! Just believing He is! He said it! He’ll do it! This believing creates the reservoir for all the joy and peace the God of Hope is depositing! My faith is increasing and I didn’t do one thing to make it happen except grab a hold of Him and BELIEVE!

Now the good part is that it just keeps multiplying over my health, my mind, my body, my relationships, my finances, my goals, my dreams, and even my setbacks.  Now, the comebacks are quicker and more evident. It’s just a matter of time, but it will come! And this is where the GOD OF ALL HOPE has truly done it! I am abounding in Hope by the power of Holy Spirit! 

It’s so funny you have asked me about this today as I was praying again this morning as I have for few weeks now about what will be my verse for next year? Can it get any better? I almost don’t want to let go and start another but there is more I hear Holy Spirit saying! 

I even remember talking to Ken about my email “imri4him…” and what it means. I looked it up again. I was mesmerized by the Lord in His fullness, bringing new Hope in this promise of long ago. “Imri” was  a Hebrew name given to me when I took the class on the book of Hebrews many years ago. I understood that it meant to “send forth the promise of the Lord.”

Right about that time, I was just encountering a new breakthrough in the mom’s prayer ministry and in the prayer watches where I served, in assisting with the women’s bible study and in assisting with the youth at the church.

My mouth has literally been opened wide and He is filling it with prayers, promises, proclamations, prophecies, praises –  yes praises, and thanksgiving!

I am looking forward to this next year of chronicling the next verse along with the history of this last year’s verse! There is so much promise!