Hope

May [you allow] the God of hope [to] fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 [brackets added for clarity]

Amen! ‘Nuf said. I want the God of hope to fill me with all joy and peace, and I want to overflow with hope! I receive this blessing.

But wait! There’s more. Paul writes this to the Romans in the context of encouraging them to bear with those who are more fragile in the faith. The amplified version of verse 1 reads this way: “We who are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ought to bear with the failings and the frailties and the tender scruples of the weak; [we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others] and not to please ourselves.” Paul goes on to clarify that the way that we may do this is by taking on the mind of Christ, who accepted us and became a Servant to us – to the glory of God, the Father. In the same way, we accept and serve those more fragile than we. And through the prophetic words of old, we are taught endurance and are encouraged, so that we may serve with and impart hope.
So it is in this context, then, that Paul pronounces this blessing over the Roman believers: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace…may you overflow with hope! This is not just a blessing for believers to grasp and bask in the goodness. Rather, it is a command (of sorts) that, when adhered to, allows us to then minister to others, to support, to encourage. From what I can tell, James Strong indicates that this word “may” is not so much to be understood as an uncertain possibility, but as a right; something lawful. It indicates that we are to “let” the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace… This is the reason for the words in brackets-clarity. God wants to fill us. Our responsibility is to trust Him and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us…for the edification of others and the glory of God.