EXPECTATION IS THE WORD FOR TODAY!
Since the beginning of the year the Lord has been speaking to me about my expectations! I feel Him challenging me to expect miracles, expect blessings, expect Him to run out the darkness, expect Him to show up and show off in my life. Many times in my christian walk, of 34 years, I have limited God. I have discovered that my own fears and insecurities hindered my ability to trust God, to do great things in and through my life. Thank God for His understanding, mercy and grace. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV reminds us of His grace; 'And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work'. Then Paul tells us that the Lord said to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV Boy am I ever thankful that the Lord's power is made perfect in my weakness; in my insecurities!
The more I learn about God's unconditional love for me, the deeper I grow in my walk with Him. The Lord longs to give us gifts. The greatest gift He gives us, is the gift of salvation. I praise Him and thank Him for the gift of salvation, as it has radically changed my life! Yet, recently the Lord has been showing me in His Word the depth of His love for me and how He has so much more He wants to give me. The Holy Spirit led me to Matthew 7:11-If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! I like to talk to the Holy Spirit when I study the word, so I asked Him; 'Are there gifts you want to give me Lord that I'm not asking for?' I heard Him in my mind say; "YES! Gifts, not just for your use, but for others as well." I had to ponder that a while. My mind wandered to people I knew in need, and how I often wish I could meet their need, and give God the glory. I remember once hearing an evangelist say; "If God can get it to you, then he can give it to others through you." I thought on that for a few minutes. If God can get it to you... doesn't that involve our faith and our level of expectation to some degree? We first have to believe what Matthew 7:11 tells us; how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! The word gifts here is do'ron in the Greek meaning a present. Webster's Dictionary records gift as:That which is given or bestowed without charge; a present: a donation. Your Heavenly Father wants to give you good gifts. The key words in Matthew 7:11 are; to those who ask.
The Holy Spirit then led me to James 1:7-Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Then I recently remembered hearing Graham Cooke say;"Heaven is not a store house, it is a distribution center. God is longing to meet your needs, you need only to ask Him; believing that He can and will meet that need." There it was again; ask Him believing that He can and will meet that need. I asked the Holy Spirit; "What is it you want me to ask for?" The answer came quickly;"MORE THAN ENOUGH. I WANT YOU TO ASK FOR AN ABUNDANCE!"
I thought of the 'Fairborn Aglow Lighthouse' that I am President of and how we recently discovered a need in an organization that we partner with; The Fairborn Women's Network. They needed diapers. One of our Aglow leaders suggested that each of us leaders contribute $10 a month, so we could purchase as many diapers as we could get for that price. We could then ask God to match what we had purchased. We all agreed in prayer and waited with expectation to see what God did. Sure enough, we received well over the amount of diapers we had purchased. That was 6 months ago and every month we are getting more than twice the amount of diapers we donate as leaders. God wanted to give The Fairborn Women's Network more than enough diapers. Several ladies at our Aglow meeting also decided to help meet the need for diapers. They decided to have a diaper drive at their church and donate them to the network. God does care about our everyday needs. The director of the Women's Network told us that she had asked the Lord to provide them with plenty of diaper donations. She thanked us for partnering with them to supply diapers and other items. The Holy Spirit reminded me that she had to ask the Lord first, for plenty of diapers!
I recalled last year I met a Christian Missionary, who flew all over the world for just pennies. She had told me of an upcoming trip from Texas to China that cost her only $20. She said that she was a missionary for the Lord Jesus and she expected Him to provide for her travel. She prays for great deals and favor wherever she goes. She mentioned that she always asks the Lord for 1st class seats, as a free upgrade. Then she challenged me to ask the Lord for an upgrade on my flight home the next day. I prayed, asking the Lord for a free upgrade and didn't think another thing of it. When I got to the airport check-in, I mentioned that I was unable to assign my seat via the internet prior to my flight and I wondered where my seat was located. The Airline clerk said:" Well you are in seat 24D. Let me see if I can get you a better seat." As he handed me my ticket, he was smiling from ear to ear and said; "I was able to upgrade you to 1st class at no additional charge. I hope that is okay with you?" It took everything in me to keep from doing a 'Happy Dance' right there in the check-in line. Since then I go to the airport expecting an upgrade from the Lord. Just last week when I flew, I used the Missionaries favorite line, as I was checking in with the airline clerk. When she asked me; "How are you today?" I said, "Great, how are you?" After her response, I said in a warm joking voice,"Oh, by the way, if you are offering free upgrades I'll be happy to take one!" I smiled brightly at her. There was an awkward silence. I had obviously caught her off guard. I just continued to smile politely and chat with the friend I was traveling with. She handed us our tickets and said with a smile;"Since our flight isn't full, I was able to upgrade you to business class, where you will have more leg room at no additional charge." I felt another 'Happy Dance" coming on. We walked away thanking the Lord for our upgrade. The Lord wants to give good gifts to his children. Sometimes that requires us to not only ask Him for the gift, but the faith to expect to receive the gift.
What if Graham Cooke is correct in saying; "Heaven is not a store house but a distribution center." The Lord himself tells us he wants to give us good gifts. What kind of gift do you need or want from your Heavenly Father? I have learned to ask for all kinds of different gifts from the Lord. When I have 5 hours of work to do and only 2 hours to accomplish it, I ask for the gift of time. I will pray; "Papa God I have much to do and little time to do it. Will you multiply my time and help me be efficient in how I go about my work." To this day I am amazed that I seem to get twice as much work done, than is humanly possible.
I will give another example of asking the Lord for gifts. When I have to confront an individual about a touching issue, I will pray: "Lord Jesus I ask you to prepare this person's heart to receive the truth of what I am going to share. Please protect them from misunderstanding or offense. Give me the gift of wisdom to know exactly how to present the situation in a manner of love and kindness." Often, when I begin to share in these situations, the Lord will give me words of wisdom in the moment, that I would never have thought of on my own. The individual usually thanks me for being honest, kind and loving in pointing this out to them.
In closing, I challenge you to be bold and ask the Lord for good gifts. With an expectant heart, wait for His response. I feel Him challenging us to expect miracles, expect blessings, expect Him to run out the darkness, expect Him to show up and show off in our life.
