The God who is everything you need

 I have been using a little devotional book I received from the Institute for Creation Research.  It has well-written and thought-provoking little lessons every day.  Last week, there was one titled "The God of Hope"  based on Romans 15:13:  "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit."  Apparently, this description of God is found nowhere else in the entire Bible.  The writer pointed out that God is not only the source of hope for both this life and the one to come, but He is also the object of our hope.

Two days later, the daily devotional was titled "The God of Patience and Consolation."  The text was again in Romans 15, verse 5 this time:  "Now may the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus."  My Modern English translation uses the term "God of perseverance and encouragement."  The context in the previous chapter has Paul addressing a divisive conflict in that particular church.  Believers were disagreeing and offending one another over differences in beliefs about what they could or could not eat.  Paul reminded them that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit," and that each should live for his neighbour's edification and not to please oneself, also not to judge one another and not to "put a stumbling block or obstacle in a brother's way."  The only way we can achieve something so difficult is through "the God of patience and encouragement."

I remembered that God is also called "the God of all comfort" in 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4:  "Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

And there are several references to the God of peace.  One is 1 Thessalonians 5:23:  "May the very God of peace sanctify you completely.  And I pray to God that your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I would love to hear from you what other descriptive combination names of God you know.  Try to add them to the "comments" spot below, although I have been told that sometimes it doesn't actually allow comments.

Whatever your needs might be today, God is the One who is the answer.  He is your God of hope, of perseverance and encouragement, of comfort and of peace.