Expectation: January 1, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 1, 2013.

EXPECTATION

DEFINITION:

Anticipation of an occurrence or the coming of something; hope for; anticipation.

SCRIPTURE:

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. Psalms 62:5.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We begin a new year today and we want to begin by asking you, “What are your expectations for this New Year?” “What are you expecting with and from your family?” “What are you expecting spiritually to happen in your life?”

We can remember so many times when we have experienced expectation in our lives. Our first such experience together was the year prior to our wedding. We were busy planning and working and were 2000 miles apart but the expectation of our soon to be wedding grew day by day. Then the expectation of the birth of all six of our children was exciting. We experienced both quick births and long ordeals. In fact, Dottie was in the hospital for 10 days after our first child was born and we both experienced the possibility of even death. But God answered our prayers, as well as the prayers of many others, and the expectation that we anticipated before our son’s birth became a very positive reality.

An excellent example of EXPECTATION in our lives is the expectation we saw again this past Christmas in our children and grandchildren. Christmas has always been looked forward to with great expectation and excitement by our family and it was no different several weeks ago. It is not only the exchanging of gifts, the eating of a wonderful meal but also the annual Christmas pageant of Jesus’ birth that the grand-children presented. It was a wonderful time of being with our family but most important it was a time for us to remember the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are exciting expectations and sad expectations in life. When you have people around you that you love like spouses, parents, children, grandparents and extended families then almost every day brings on new expectations --- some happy and some sad. As the Psalmist says, in the above verse, the toughest part of expectation is the waiting.

Waiting on the Lord for His answers is very difficult at times. For Ken patience is not one of his great attributes. Together over the years, we have asked God for direction and guidance with the expectation of an immediate answer. But sometimes God made us wait and this was very difficult. Perhaps the Lord saw that He needed to teach us patience or to better prepare our hearts for something. We have had to learn how important it is in God’s sight for us to wait for His perfect timing. For us, waiting has always allowed God to do something better through our lives. The challenges that come with waiting may have been greater but the victories have been wonderful.

It is the believer’s privilege to say that my expectation is from Him (God). When we look to God for the supply of our wants, whether it is temporal or spiritual, our expectation will not be in vain. We can look at our bank in heaven and receive our needs out of the riches of God’s loving kindness. Our bank account with God can never be overdrawn.

Our Lord never fails to answer His promises and when we bring them to His throne through prayer, He never sends them back unanswered. Our problem is that we forget to recognize that when God answers He sometimes says “yes,” sometimes “no,” and sometimes “wait.” Therefore we need to learn to wait at His door and He will open the door according to His will.

Our greatest expectation in life is the expectation that we will spend eternity with our Lord because we believe in Him. When that day comes, do you expect as you approach the heavenly gate to see the door open and hear the welcome invitation to come in to the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world? Do you expect harps of gold and crowns of glory? Yes, one day we will see Him as He is. What are your expectations as we begin a New Year? We are waiting, excited and have great expectations of what God has for us not only here on this earth but in eternity.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 5:8.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the greatest expectation that You have given us as believers in You, the wonderful and marvelous expectation of spending eternity with You. Help me to honor Your name by doing what You want me to do as we begin this New Year. Help me to learn more about You by reading Your Word and listening to what You say through Your Word. Help me also to communicate with You through prayer with expectation knowing that You will answer my prayers in Your perfect timing.