Am I Expecting Great Things?

This morning, I woke up to make pancakes for our family before we headed off to church at Christ’s Church of the Valley.  As I moved closer to finishing up the pancakes, I for some reason decided to grab a CD from my past and let it play as everyone else was waking up and enjoying breakfast.  The CD I chose was Speechless by a favorite from my past Steven Curtis Chapman.  For some reason, I was moved by track 4 – Great Expectations.

In this song, Chapman sings about believing the unbelievable and receiving the inconceivable – about having Great Expectations.  It hit me that I often don’t expect great things when I go to church or when I have my quiet time.  Why?  Perhaps, I’m too comfortable with the structure, pattern, and repetition of these “times with God.”  Maybe, I’m lazy in my approach to God.  Or maybe the wounds of the past have tainted my level of anticipation for God to work.

Whatever the case, I was challenged this morning.  I was challenged to approach my time with God (privately and corporately) with a renewed expectation that God has something great in store – for my church, for my family, for my neighbors, for my job, and for me.  I believe this in my head, but I want to believe it in my heart and live it out.

Matthew 7:7-11 reminds us that God has so much in store for each of us.  This is a reason to be excited about living, about working, and about spending time with God.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  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!”

Thankful for a new day!  Thankful for renewal!  Thankful for the promise of great things!  Thankful for an incredible, awesome, unbelievable, inconceivable God!