I am about to embark on my seventh mission trip to India. Some would say I am an “old pro.” After the first six trips, you kind of get the hang of how the flight will go. You have an idea of how your body deals with jet lag and how long it takes to adjust. You know which foods you like, or if you’re like me and have major allergies, you know which foods to avoid. All these things provide a sense of safety, you know what to expect.
While I feel confident in what to expect, physically, from the trip I have realized that I haven’t given much thought as to what to expect from God. More so, not knowing what to expect from God seems to be a theme for my life. I create a routine in which I am comfortable, yet I often don’t expect much, if anything from God. At most, I expect God to show up and work in amazing ways on a mission trip but as for my everyday life I don’t necessarily expect Him to show up in the mundane. It seems easier to create an environment where I know how it’s going to go, rather than to expect God to do the unexpected.
This is where I really lose out. I believe that God wants me to have a spirit of expectancy. He wants me to wait on Him with eagerness. All throughout the Psalms, the psalmists writes “I will wait on the Lord,” and “my hope is in the Lord.” Yet, in my day to day, I move through life, almost coasting, as if there is no need to wait and I don’t allow the Lord to do what only He can do.
I’ve always heard it said that the Lord doesn’t just show up; He shows off. I believe that to be true about God. Throughout scripture, God promises us more than just an “ok” life. He promises us life, life full of abundance. How can I have a life of abundance without a spirit of expectancy?
Expectancy doesn’t mean that I require God to move only in certain ways or accomplish certain things. It means that I have a spirit full of faith that waits on Him to see how He moves in His timing.
Having a spirit of expectancy would daily draw my attention to Him. I would also head a spirit of awareness and thankfulness. Having a spirit of expectancy would cause me to press into Him, learning more of His characteristics. A spirit of expectancy would allow God to be God, put my independence on hold and allow me to be more dependent on Him. Causing me to step more into the way I was created to be.
Maybe you’re like me and are familiar with many things, or places, or situations that you know what to expect. What if you had a spirit of expectancy for God in those places?
As I take this next trip, I am going to lay down my sense of knowing what will happen and opt for the spirit of faithfully trusting God to make things happen.
From the interacting in the lives of orphans to interacting in my daily life, I am choosing to have a spirit of expectancy in all areas. Because God won’t just show up, He’ll show off.
This month, pray for The Boaz Project with expectancy, believing God will use our joint efforts to serve Him and love orphans. You can specifically pray for:
-our Breakfast with Boaz fundraiser on Nov. 1st. We’re relying on God to communicate a vision for The Boaz Project’s future and provide the resources to make it happen, reaching more orphans for Christ.
-the five children’s homes we just visited in India, that God would cause the seeds sown to take root in the children’s hearts and eventually grow into mature fruit.
-ongoing conversations with one specific orphanage in Russia, that they would be open to us working with their children on a regular basis.
Breakfast with Boaz
See how God is working, hear our vision for the future, and make your impact.
Thursday, November 1st, 2018
7:00 – 8:00 am (arrive by 6:45)
The Gathering Place
1495 West Main Street
Greenwood, IN 46142
