My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalm 62:5
“I believe, to be sure, that any man who reaches Heaven will find that what he abandoned (even in plucking out his right eye) has not been lost: that the kernel of what he was really seeking even in his most depraved wishes will be there, beyond expectation, waiting for him in ‘the High Countries’.”
C. S. Lewis
Joyful Expectation
Do you have a word of the year? Two years ago I decided to try out the idea of prayerfully choosing a word or phrase for the year. The first year my word was hope because I was in need of a restoration of hope in my life. I did a word study, made a list of scriptures and did a Bible journal. As I was contemplating what theme God was pointing me to this year, God reminded me of my decision to look to God alone for my expectation. It was still a work in progress, so I decided that would be a good word, but there still seemed to be something missing. I realized that my expectations had become negative. I was expecting the worst.
Besides a new focus, I also needed a new attitude. Joy is a choice that is not dependent on my circumstances. If I look for it, I can find bits of joy around me no matter what the circumstances. The trick is intentionally looking for the blessings of God every day. When I do that, I can have joyful expectation.
Abundance vs. Scarcity Mentality
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Ephesians 3:20
I often work from a scarcity mentality, looking for the minimum. Yet, we serve a mighty God who can work miracles. Now He does not always answer prayers the way we think they should be answered, but His way always turns out better in the long run. I can expect God to take care of things, but I have to trust Him to do it instead of plotting how I am going to take care of it. Sometimes I imagine the worst possible outcomes if things are not handled in the way I think while in reality my fears are often out of proportion. When I pray, do what I can do, and release the rest to God, He will work it out.
Lately, it seems as though everything is going against me with water pipes bursting in the worst possible place and dealing with extra fees because of delayed payments, none of which are in my control. I complained to God that it wasn’t fair and wanted to know why all this was happening when I was trying to do the right thing. Guess what he said?
Joy in the Morning
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psalm 30:5
While I may have said my expectation was from God, I was still secretly plotting how to take care of things. I would have a day or two of waiting on God and resting in His promises, but then I would pick up the anxiety and worry again. God was allowing events to unfold to keep me dependent on Him until I learned to truly trust Him and release my worries to Him. Otherwise, I am prone to taking credit and being proud of my accomplishments instead of giving God the glory. It’s only when I come to the end of my yarn that God truly begins, and then He will do more than we ever dreamed possible.
I’m a work in progress, but I learned that God does answer our prayers. He balances amazing outpourings of grace with equal amounts of tough love so that we stay grounded and remember that our help comes from the Lord. I am praying and hoping that I learn this particular lesson way before the year is out. Regardless, I have to practice joyful expectation if I am to make it a habit in my daily life.
What is your word of the year? What do you need to make a habit of this year? Shoot me an email or post in the comments. I’d love to know. Then, we can pray for each other, which is another habit I’m working on but that is a blog for another day.