If you want your ship to come in you must build a dock.
Anonymous
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100
Joy
What brings you joy? I don’t mean happiness, which is temporal and changes with the moment, but true joy. What makes you want to dance and sing? Do a little jig?
Have you ever been expecting something, like a package in the mail, and you counted the days until it arrived, constantly checking the shipping information online? There is a joy in that anticipation, but what if you had no idea when your expectations would be fulfilled? It’s easy to get discouraged or give up, but when our expectation is from Christ alone we can rest assured that the promise is coming. So, what do we do in the meantime?
Celebrate
Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.
Nehemiah 12:43
When the Israelites had finally finished everything, they dedicated the walls and the gates to God. They did this by gathering priests and Levites and splitting them into two groups. They climbed up on the walls and started marching in opposite directions, singing and shouting. They were so loud that their joy was heard “afar off.”
They were celebrating where they were and in the providence of God in restoring the walls. They were still under the ruling of a foreign nation, but their city was rebuilt and protected. Plus, they had experienced spiritual renewal. They had a lot to be joyful about, and so do we. Even when things look grim in the world, if we take a closer look, we can also see the good. When we take a moment to celebrate the little things, then it helps keep our hearts and minds focused on God, and it gives us hope for the future.
Expect
20 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, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
I saw the quote about building a dock on a church sign several years ago and it stuck with me. If we believe we have prayed for something that is in God’s will, then we should be expecting it to happen. With that in mind, we should be preparing for its arrival, making space like new parents preparing a nursery.
Ephesians tells us that God is able to do not only what we ask, but exceeding abundantly above what we ask. God wants to bless us, but first we have to trust him with what is in our hands. In order for God to bless what we have, we have to be willing to give it to Him to do with as He sees best. Then prepare to receive. What is it you need to do in order to receive what you’ve asked for?
Joyful Expectation
I have to admit that I have had issues with the joyful part of expectation. Experience in the world had made me wary that there was more to hope for than just getting by in life. I was holding tight to what I had out of fear and worry. When I released my hold, it made all the difference in the world. There is freedom and joy in trusting God because He is our Provider and his supply is never ending.
If we pray for God’s will and give him what is in our hands, He will bless it. We have to be willing to take the next steps not knowing where they may lead yet filled with joyful expectation of what God is going to do. We may not have a clear idea of what that entails, but it will be exceeding abundantly above all that we can imagine.
What are you joyfully expecting? What is your next step? If you are of a mind to, share your answers in the comments. In the meantime, shout with joy so that they will hear it afar off for in Christ alone is our hope. Let our expectation come from God alone and no other and we will not be disappointed.
As Christians, we anticipate the joyful reunion we will have in heaven with Jesus and our loved ones. That doesn’t mean we’re quite ready to go yet. I think we desire a closer relationship with our Lord while we are here on Earth and will receive joy when we seek Him. The key, of course, is to work to develop that relationship that will bring joy. Thank you for this thought provoking message, Linda.