Let's continue to break apart words. Word studies reveal so much more of God's word. Yesterday we looked at wait/waiting, patience, and hope. Today we are going to add a word before the word wait/waiting and that word is expectant. The dictionary defines expectance as " having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially something pleasant and interesting." Helen Keller says, " Nothing can be done without hope." Our hope grows as we wait expectantly and we TRUST (there’s that word again) God and His plan, timing, and purpose. God tells us in the expectant waiting to be still, silent because He has much to say to our restless, weary hearts. Hearts that are screaming NO MORE WAITING, PLEASE!
As we learning to wait with expectance, God's goodness and joy will follow. Not happiness but joy. We can wait with expectant hearts and not be happy but still have joy in God and what we expect Him to do based on His word, not our circumstances. Let's try and stop confusing happiness with joy.
As we wait with expectancy, we need to have eyes to see. Not physical eyes but spiritual eyes. If we are focused downward and horizontally, we cannot see vertically to God and all He is doing. We won't see our transformed minds, hearts, and souls. We will miss the wonderous beauty surrounding us daily. As we look on Jesus, we receive the strength and courage we need to wait. Wait in His timing, with great expectance. Graham Cooke said. " The father does not give us joy. He gives us himself. He is absolute joy personified." This is the joy we need to focus on, hope filled joy to get us through the waiting season with success. An expectantly waiting heart is grounded in hope, trust, and peace. Romans 15:13 says, " May the God of hope 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."
We looked at the word trust yesterday and it is once again popping up. Trust is the foundation for so many aspects of walking in Jesus' footsteps. Waiting WILL require TRUSTING. We will only be able to wait with joy filled expectancy when we believe that a greater good is/will come. As humans this ability to trust, wait, believe can grow dim when the waiting goes from hours to days to months and then to years and years and year. We question God, we question ourselves and our faith. We yell out to God, where are you? How is this a part of your plan? Where is/was the good Your promised? It is in these moments of yelling our hearts need to be reminded that God is there, His promises are yes and amen. However, during the waiting He is refining, transforming, and sanctifying us into all He planned, not what we planned. We know this is true because one, God's words says it true, and God isn't a liar. Second, in this place of waiting we need to worship. Waiting and worship go hand and hand so we can press through and keep our hearts focused on God and not the discomfort of waiting.
Stasi Eldredge said in her book Defiant Joy, " And as I wait, I will worship. I will turn my gaze to Jesus and put my trust in Him. I will allow the longings to resurrect my hope that the One who promised is faithful and a great good is coming.
Find peace for the present, and hope for the future, by meditating on God’s Word today.
These six verses will get you started:
1 Corinthians 15:58 So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.
James 1:12 Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.
Micah 7:7 But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me.
Romans 12:12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.
Psalm 130:5-6 I wait eagerly for the Lord's help, and in his word I trust. I wait for the Lord more eagerly than sentries wait for the dawn; than sentries wait for the dawn.
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