Living an Expectant Life

I have a wonderful mini-poster created by Chuck Swindoll that reflects on the power of attitude in our life. Many of us have heard numerous sayings on that same topic of how our attitude molds and shapes not only our day but our life in total. How seriously do you take that advice and what does that have to do with the Lord in our lives? Recently our precious Lord, my Abba, has revealed to me new depths of that perspective on life and it has unquestionably shifted my entire life into a new dimension. I believe that many of you are ready for a similar shift in your lives and my prayer is that through sharing what has happened to me, you will be able to step into that new dimension.

Several posts ago (August 24th), I shared with all of you that I was celebrating my 57th Birthday. I also shared the significance of the numbers in my life and the patterns that God has consistently used to speak to me, guide me, counsel me. What I did not share was the battle that I was also fighting. My birthday had become a time of remembrance about what I have lost in the natural realm with my obedience to following the Lord in the spiritual realm. In the last 7 years of my life, there was so much turmoil with people that I have loved for most of my adult life. Just as the Lord warns us in scripture, we will be set apart and find relationships dear to us become estranged because we chose to follow Him. So birthdays that are for many people time of celebration with family are for me a time of feeling a void for what is no longer in my life.

Please understand that I am grateful beyond words for the love that God has placed in my life and do not for one minute take it for granted or feel that it is somehow inadequate. But when you are set apart from those that you have loved since the beginning, there is a human sorrow that is present. With that being said, the approach of my birthday was acknowledgement that certain people choose to not be a part of the celebration of who I am or what God is doing in my life. There is a tugging of my heart (flesh) strings that is difficult. Therefore as the day of my birthday approached I really wanted it to pass by as quietly as possible without anyone acknowledging it. But God had other plans.

Just as He had given me the promise of my future in the revelation of the numbers and patterns in my life, He wanted to insure that I understood He was serious about the manifestation of that promise. Those were not idle words on His part. The shift in my life into this new season of promise was to begin on the day that I wanted to forget, the day He brought me into existence. My birthday. One small surprise after another demonstrated to me that God was directly showing me His hesed love through those who are in my life now. Without being cognizant of the shift, my spirit was making a transition to a new level with Him, a new level of intimacy and a new level of hope. Each unveiling of His love for me brought a wave of joy that was so unexpected, yet I was still transitioning so the battle was not quite done.

Over the next day or two the Lord and I conversed deeply about the things that I was battling and He kept showing Himself just as the sun begins to breakthrough after a thunderstorm. First you see the single rays that peek through the departing storm clouds. Then slowly the rays broaden and the heat of the sun begins to warm the damp earth all around you. Finally the clouds are only on the horizon and the sun is brilliantly reflecting off everything that has been freshly washed. This describes exactly what was happening in my spirit and by Sunday morning as I worshipped and lingered in His presence, I was totally captivated by the infinite love of my Lover God.

His message to me was simple yet so profound: Live a life that is expectant of my love, not one that recognizes it after the fact. Live a life that demonstrates that you know without any doubt that I am always about to do something extraordinary for you, my Beloved. Look for my surprises with every breath that you take, in every person you meet, in every aspect of your life. Know that I am here, know that I am your God, know that you are indeed the apple of my eye. Know that in my sight you are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made"! Psalm 139:14

Living a life that is expectant is different than living a life with expectations. Our expectations are putting God in a box, telling Him exactly what we are expecting Him to do. We put limitations on His magnificence and ability to do exceedingly more than we could possibly expect. Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." The One who created everything that exists today from our human bodies to the vast universes has a plan for our lives that is so incredible, so beyond our imaginations, if we will just trust Him to guide us. Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Did you catch that? Every detail of our lives.... Can you embrace the power of that in your life?

I am embracing that power. I am experiencing a freedom that I have not enjoyed at this level yet in my life. I am expecting my awesome Lord to surprise me each day as I keep my eyes on Him. Understand that is a requirement of walking in this level of joy. If I am not constantly watching Him, I will easily miss what He is doing in my life. If I become preoccupied with my life and not HIS life, I will totally miss the blessings He is pouring into my life. Remember the expression, "It is all in the details"? Well it really is. God is into the details of my life and through the details comes the grand plan that He has developed for me. Yes, the year 5770 is going to be amazing for this 57 year old Beloved of God. I am eagerly awaiting the most amazing year of my life to unfold! How about you?