Expecting God

Christmas day 2

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14

“However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts.” -John Calvin

 

  • Oh, how your Savior loves you! Come and meet with Him with expectation today. He favors you! Take out your Bible and notebook. Try playing some beautiful instrumental music during your time with the Lord today!
  • Read Psalm 27:1-14 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17Highlight or write verse Psalm 27:13-14 in your journal.

Expecting God

Is there anything better than a small child in footsie jammies? I just love it!

As I was thinking about Expecting God, this is the picture He laid on my heart: three sweet little ones all zipped up in their jammies, staring with incredible excitement at their Christmas tree!

Do you remember this feeling of pure joy and anticipation? Did you know this is the way our benevolent Father in Heaven wants us to look to Him- in expectation of His presence and His work in our lives with delight and contemplation?

The word Advent means “coming.” For Christians, Advent is a time to look forward to Christ’s final return and the fulfillment of his plan–His second coming. We are waiting in longing for our King!

This advent season, He wants us to wait in expectation for the good things He has for us BEFORE His return:

  • To gaze upon His face with excitement.
  • To revel in his amazing love for us and to wait for the dreams he has laid on our hearts.
  • To expect is to know that something will certainly happen!

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11. We can expect favor, honor, and good things coming from God!

“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”” John 11:40.
Oh, what will He do in our lives if we are daughters who believe? Let us be Daughters of the Mighty King who believe we will SEE the glory of God, and who walk in faith knowing and expecting God to bring His good works to fruition.

As sure as He is coming we can expect His goodness and blessings to manifest in our lives!

Take this season to look to your Heavenly Father as a child looks forward to Christmas.

Just between you and God: When you see a Christmas tree, decoration, or nativity scene this season, smile and let it be a reminder of not only His goodness now but also a reminder for His future return to claim you, His precious daughter, for eternity!

Questions to Ponder: Write the answers to these questions in your journal.

  • Are you in a season where you have lost your zeal for the Lord? Pray and ask Him to return it to you. Set aside time to spend with God. Our faith is not based on feelings, but instead, our faith is based on a person, Jesus Christ. When we continue to spend time with Him, we are moving in the direction of faith instead of doubt, which thus leads to anticipation!
  • Write and display a running list of the many the good things God has done for you over the years. Have a family worship night to thank Him!

Faith Filled Idea:

  • Pray and ask the Lord for a Christmas devotion to do with your family. “Christmas Carols for a Kids Heart” has been one of our favorites! You will all learn the true stories behind the songwriters of favorite Christmas hymns. It is simple, beautifully illustrated, and comes with a CD. It is a great way to start or end your day in the season of Advent!

Taras kids

Christmas day 2 graphic

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Tell us about your favorite Advent devotion to do with your family!

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Tara Fox
Latest posts by Tara Fox (see all)

14 Comments on “Expecting God”

  1. This Devo really hits home for me…what encouragement!! “He wants us to wait in expectation for the good things He has for us BEFORE His return”. Yes! His goodness begins now, and I want to lay hold of it! This is beautiful Tara!

  2. I loved this study! It goes along with what has been teaching me lately- not just waiting patiently for His promises, but expecting Him and His work with joy and thanksgiving.

  3. Thank you Tara for this beautiful devotional! I just love your image of the children in footie pj’s staring at the tree! It brought those exact feelings of excitement and anticipation back to me! Such a great memory and one that I’m thankful you reminded me of and put it in a current context I can use now! You are so wonderful, thank you for this!

    1. Thank you so much for your sweet comment Kristall! It was God that gave me that image! He is so good❤️

  4. This lesson is wonderful, a perfect start for Christmas time! It’s so easy to go through the motions, which are worthless without examining your heart first.

  5. Great devotional Tara. I love this line, “To expect is to know that something will certainly happen!” What a powerful reminder. We do not wait with confusion or uncertainty, but with expectation and comtemplation. Love you friend! 🙂

  6. This is great Tara! Thank you! You are so right about expectation! I was just thinking the other day about how God wants us to have a spirit of expectation. I so appreciate your heart. 🙂

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