“For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off” (Prov. 23:18, KJV).
When we think about the future, are we expecting good things? Are we anticipating the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living?
More food for thought: Have you noticed how people that expect bad things to happen to them, generally end up seeing their expectations come to pass?
Jesus introduced this spiritual principle to us when He told blind men seeking healing, “According to your faith let it be to you” (Matt. 9:29, NKJV). They came to Him expecting to experience His kindness. They left with a miracle. He pointed out that their heart posture of anticipation was key in the unfolding of their healing. How it stirs His heart when we demonstrate that we know who He is!
If we are not anticipating good gifts from our Father, we don’t know Him very well yet. There is absolutely no condemnation about this, but He gently invites us to get to know His heart better. He longs for us to acquire experiential knowledge of how supremely kind and generous He is. From this knowledge flows our faith in Him, our anticipation of His goodness.
Our faith “is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Heb. 11:1, NLT). Developed, seasoned faith means that we are confident in God’s character. On our journey, we have come to understand how immeasurably loving He is. We know that the kindness of His nature means that He longs to do good to us. We know that kindness is going to transfer into good gifts from His heart in response to our seeking, asking, and knocking. It gives us great assurance of what we are asking Him for, ahead of time.
So… calamity, or blessing? What we anticipate for our future is a strong clue indicating how intimately we know our Daddy God. What are we expecting today? Our expectation will not be cut off.
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Deep down in your heart, do you have a sense that God wants to do good for you?
Feeding On Jesus 
“If we are not anticipating good gifts from our Father, we don’t know Him very well yet.” That’s a deep truth that I have come to understand as I walk with God. I am so blessed by your post, Jennifer.
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Aw I am so, SO glad! May He take you deeper and deeper into that precious knowledge of His heart! (Slow in replying because I’ve been visiting my family in the U.S.)
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But even expecting good things, we sometimes get bad stuff (e.g., Job). But even at his worst, Job could still say, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” Praise the Lord in every circumstance. 😊
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Such beautiful, precious words coming out of the refining fire! Life truly is such an amazing mixture of suffering and the manifest goodness of God, isn’t it?
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Thank God He restored my marriage! I didn’t expect anything less, and He gave us so much more than we could ever have imagined.
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That is so, SO beautiful, my sister! My heart rejoices with you in His goodness to you 💖(Back from a trip and catching up on comments again). 🙂
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Bad stuff happens. unexpected sorrow, pain, loss, health issues. Thank you for your post. From God we can expect only the good things of healing, Grace, Mercy and His Presence with us as long as we keep in relationship. (with HIM). Praise Him in the middle of it all.
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Amen and amen. Thank You Abba Father for Your grace and mercy that abounds to us! (Back from my trip and catching up on comments again). 🙂
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Developed, seasoned faith means that we are confident in God’s character. AMEN, Jennifer! God’s faithfulness, calming presence, peace, and more are with us ALWAYS as we must walk through dark valleys. God IS good all the time!
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Sooooo good, Nancy! I really like how you put that. “Developed, seasoned faith.” Exactly. Sending you much love today! (Back from a trip and catching up on comments again). 🙂
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Thank you, Jennifer, and welcome home!
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Thank you, Nancy! (Slow reply again because I had a visitor here from the U.S. keeping me extra busy with hostessing soon after my arrival). Grace and peace 💕
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Hi Jennifer, I enjoyed reading your article. Talk about truth to facts. My motto for 2022 is “Expect the Unexpected. God is doing great and marvelous things.” You see I am expecting God’s best because He gives us His BEST! I am a believer of the truth of the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ.
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My heart rejoices to hear that, my sister! Thank You JESUS for revealing Your amazing goodness to our hearts and birthing anticipation of the great things You are doing and will continue to do! Thank you so much for your comment, Rev. Jeanie. (Back from a trip and catching up on comments again). 🙂
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Thank you for this. I hadn’t noticed before how closely connected faith and expectation are.
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You are welcome, Yolanda! My heart rejoices to know that you were blessed by it. (Back from a trip and catching up on blog comments) 🙂
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