Expectant Living – Devotion for
Most of the time when we pray and give thanks or praise to God, we do so for things that have already happened, don’t we? I know that’s the way it usually seems in my prayers – I give thanks for God giving me such a wonderful family, a wonderful church family, wonderful friends, etc. And in church when we have a chance to share celebrations usually it is for something special that has happened within that past week – such as so-and-so came home from the hospital, or so-and-so had a birthday. Most weeks someone will have an upcoming celebration of a birthday or anniversary in the coming week, or something like school is going to be out soon. But by and large the praises that we give to God is past-tense – what God has already done.
Why is that? Well, it is difficult to praise God for what He hasn’t done yet. It is far easier to praise God for what we know He has already done. And I believe that we feel it would be a bit presumptuous if we were to praise God in anticipation of what He was going to do. The Psalm that I am reading this week is Psalm 150 – the last Psalm in the book. You may be familiar with this Psalm, but if not virtually every line includes the words “praise Him.” Many of the lines are words of instruction of how to praise Him – “Praise God in His sanctuary;” “Praise Him with trumpet sound;” “Praise Him with loud cymbals.” (parts of v. 1, 3, 5) Verse 2 is a little different, as it explains why to praise God – “Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.” So instead of telling us where or how to praise God, we are given more of an indication as to why we should praise God.
Now I recognize that this is a bit of leap, but if we are to praise God for “His mighty deeds” and “according to His excellent greatness,” nowhere is that limited to just what God has already done. Because I can look back over the course of my life and understand that even in the most difficult moments God was there, I can look ahead and understand that in the most difficult moments ahead God will be there as well. Because I am aware of the mighty deeds he has done in the past, I wouldn’t fully be trusting God if I didn’t expect He’s going to be doing some mighty deeds again in the future. I think that we can have a certain peace in life when we live in a way expecting God’s mighty deeds and excellent greatness. I get excited in the morning (it’s true!) and I praise God for whatever He is going to do that day, because I expect that whoever He brings across my path is an opportunity to see God work. I guess expectant living is really trusting living – trusting God with the course and direction of your life. And when you truly trust Him to direct your paths, you can praise God for His mighty deeds – those that He has already done, and those you just can’t wait to experience. Praise God expectantly today. Expect to see and witness His excellent greatness today. Trust me – if you expect to see it you will. If you are only looking back at what He has already done, you just might miss what He is doing in 5 minutes.
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