An Expectant Waiting is an action, not Idleness!

 

“That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised.” Psalms 130:5.

Trusting in God’s promise is expectantly waiting. And expectant waiting is not an absence of activities. It is waiting with actions and steps according to God’s revealed will in the pages of the Bible.

Suppose you want to get healed. Then you expectantly wait by taking the right steps – like exercising, taking the prescribed medicines, and listening to physicians’ advice. Jesus acknowledged and said, “It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Mark 2:17. However, expect God’s healing by trusting in his help and promises. Your ultimate hope is in the Lord, not medicines or doctors. Why do you send your children to school to be trained properly? We even send our children to public schools. Most public schools do not encourage the teaching of God’s word. However, we know God works in our children through good education and grants them a better future through their learning there.

James gives an example of waiting expectantly in his epistle in the Bible. James 5:7 says, see, the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. The farmer does back-breaking hard toil to farm in the hill country, the rough and dry land in Palestine. Then they wait for months patiently for the rain. The early rain helps the planted seed to germinate. The latter rains would allow the small plants to mature and yield valuable crops for him. Without God sending His rain, the farmer’s toil won’t result in the expected results.

You see, it takes time, work, patience, and God’s blessings for the farmer to enjoy the valuable crops in due time. The farmer is not idle in the process. He is actively engaged in what he must do. Waiting expectantly means you trust God for his help and blessings according to his promises as you do your best to achieve the results. Expectant waiting by steadfast eye and hope on the Lord and His promises. This brings God’s promises to fulfillment for sure. Some toil hard and end up with nothing. Hard to understand. Without God’s blessings on our best efforts, we can’t achieve what we expect. However, when you hope in the Lord and expectantly wait for his promise to fulfil, He makes it sovereignly happen in your life.

The context of today’s insight in Psalms 130 is this- the thought that our sins could hinder an answer from God for the prayers. It says there, “Lord, if you keep in mind our sins, then who can ever get an answer to his prayers? Then He says, “but you forgive! What awesome things this is! This is why the psalmist waits expectantly by placing his hope in God’s forgiveness. He promised forgiveness if you seek Him and confess your sins.

Your sins can hinder our prayers. My sins can hinder my prayers. Sin also can result in hopelessness and despair. However, the Lord God forgives. That is the awesomeness of our Lord so that you would honor and fear him in all the days of your life. Cry on the mountain top. The Lord is awesome because He forgives.

The Bible says in 1 John 1:7-9 that if we walk in the light (the light of God because God is light) and confess our sins to Him, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. The blood of Jesus is in operation to cleanse us from all sin. Allow the blood of Jesus to cleanse and purify you. Call upon the name of Jesus for forgiveness.

Wait expectantly, trusting God to help, as he has promised. Remember waiting is not idleness. Waiting time is active like the farmer works on the farmland, waiting for the Lord to bless Him. May your expectant hope be in the Lord and His promises that He gave in the pages of the Bible.

“Father in heaven, I am waiting expectantly, trusting you to help based on your promises. However, I also learned waiting time is an action period according to your revealed will in the pages of the Bible. As I wait for the answers to my prayers, I want to agree with you about my sins. I want to confess my sins to you. I repent and turn to you for help because I believe you forgive, and your forgiveness is available in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  You gave your Son, Jesus, for my sins. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again for my sins. I accept Him as my Savior and Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”