Living in Expectation

Living in expectation is to wait. Waiting is a way of serving our Lord. Waiting develops patience.

Waiting is the last thing we want to do each day. Waiting at a stop light, waiting in line to check out, waiting at the doctor’s office, waiting for a meatloaf to bake or waiting for a cup of coffee in the morning. We see waiting as wasted time. A time that can be put to another use.

Maybe.

In the NIV version of the Bible, there are 129 results for the word wait.

• In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3
• Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
• Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked scheme. Psalm 37:7
• For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed…But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:19, 25

Each verse uses the word – wait. To wait is a part of the fruit of the spirit in the quality of patience and clarifies the expectation that we wait for – Jesus, Lord of all. Waiting becomes sweet when we pray for God to lead us that day, for the person waiting at the red light, too, for the check-out clerk, or those the doctor is seeing…prayer is an acknowledgement of our faith in God. It is a bridge of faith. It is loving others.

Last Sunday I noticed a grandfather sitting in front of me. In his strong arms he held his sweet young sleeping granddaughter. He looked down into her innocent face and I could see the smile crinkles around his eyes. What was he thinking? Was he seeing what his granddaughter would become?

I remembered the scripture – For you created my inmost being; 
 you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13. Suddenly I could see God holding each of us in His strong arms, one by one as we were created, whispering His love into our hearts as we are formed. In that moment He embeds His expectations for our lives in our hearts. Once we are born, we choose what we will follow.

And God waits for us, ever loving, ever forgiving, throughout our lives. The world offers many avenues of expectations to fulfill to achieve fame and fortune with powerful abandon. Often we forget that moment of God’s Presence and His Forever Love even when God’s Banner surrounds us in his creation.

Each day I ask, what am I expecting this day? Do my expectations simply reflect the world? Or do my expectations create the presence of God in my day? Lord, help me to wait on You.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 57:11.

Expectation Living

Who writes the expectations / That fill my heart each day?

Who holds the pen that writes / Frustration in a myriad of ways?

The names are Confusion Chaos / And Confounding Commotion

That fill my every moment with / Increasing defeat and frustration.

From the depths of despair / I raise longing eyes to You

“Lord, write on my heart your message / Of eternal expectations true.”

Fill my heart and my mind / That Jesus is Lord of all

So world expectations will dim / And all I hear is your sweet call.