Confident Anticipation is Found in the Worthiness of God
Due to a variety of reasons that I don’t need to list, my sweet Pastor husband and I decided to finally update our Christmas tree. We’ve had a twelve-foot tree for a little over 20 years. It has served us well, but in the last couple of years we’ve done creative decorating to hide its flaws. We are officially downsizing to a nine-foot tree.
The Hunt Begins
We hunted all the local stores and debated the pros and cons of each tree we saw. Nothing spoke and declared “Take me home!” so we returned to our humble abode empty handed. We then proceeded to scour a variety of websites until we finally narrowed our selection down and ordered a tree.
I wanted to order it early enough, so we still had time to return it, if necessary, and order another tree. We wisely selected a tree we could return to a local store. It arrived and we happily tore open the box setting the tree up in our front room. Then began the week-long process of fluffing so we could decide if it merited becoming part of our Christmas memories.
A Spark of Gratitude
When my front room was a shambles with the ottoman shifted, a box shoved to the side and a partially fluffed Christmas tree blocking the chair I always sit in, I felt a spark of gratitude. My heart smiled as I began to anticipate the joy and hope of the Christmas season, even before I had purchased my Thanksgiving turkey.
I felt blessed we had the funds to buy a new tree. We found a tree well within our budget, so we felt spoiled and financially wise all at the same time. My spirit began to look forward to all the hoopla, as well as the quiet reflective moments, I would experience in the glow of our new Christmas tree.
Looking Forward
Christmas, as well as the whole story of God in His Word, is all about looking forward. The Israelites anticipated the coming of the Messiah, He was their hope. They were looking for a king who would fulfill all the promises God gave. Jesus was that fulfillment. He didn’t complete all the promises in the way they imagined, however He was the answer they were waiting for.
The truth of Christ gives me pause for so much gratitude. I can anticipate the wonder of Christmas with great thankfulness. But God Himself provides reason after reason for my heart and mind to swell with thanksgiving. I don’t have hope because baby Jesus was born; I have hope because I know my Redeemer lives. God Almighty loves each of us and has moved heaven and earth so we can be declared holy, gaining entrance into an intimate relationship with Him.
Psalm 33
Psalm 33 ends with these verses. “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our trust in you.”
Psalm 33:20-22, NIV
Do you see the anticipation within the lines of the psalm? The Psalmist declares he will wait with hope because he expects God to show up. And God won’t just make a casual appearance. The psalmist declares the LORD, Yahweh, to be Israel’s help and shield. He is their deliverer, their protector. He knows the Lord is the one who will come to their aid. The psalmist celebrates God because he believes God is trustworthy and His love doesn’t fail, doesn’t end.
Anticipating God
How did the Psalmist learn to confidently anticipate God’s arrival? We just have to look at the rest of the Psalm. All of Psalm 33 is filled with declarations of God’s awesomeness. The Psalmist has listed truths about Yahweh that affirm He is the only One worthy of our hope.
- “For the word of the LORD is right and true” (verse 4)
- “He is faithful in all he does” (verse 4)
- “…the earth is full of his unfailing love” (verse 5)
- God made the heavens by just His word (verse 6)
- He spoke and the earth was formed (verse 9)
- The earth stands firm by God’s command (verse 9)
- God stops nations from moving forward (verse 10)
- “He thwarts the purposes of the peoples” (verse 10)
- God’s plans stand firm forever (verse 11)
- God sees all mankind (verse 13)
- God formed the hearts of every man (verse 15)
- God watches over those who fear Him (verse 18)
- God can deliver them from death and famine (verse 19)
Anticipation and Gratitude
We are moving from the season of Thanksgiving, into the season of Christmas. Even so, I firmly believe we can’t leave gratitude behind. Just like the Psalmist, we can’t anticipate God’s arrival without being fully aware of who He is and all He has done. Continuing to seek out things, people, or events that spark our gratitude will enable our hearts to fully hope in Christ.
As we enter this season of anticipating the arrival of the Christ child, let us continue to recall how great and good God is. Our hope isn’t wrapped up in a one-day event. We wait in hope for the Lord. We can expect Him to fulfill all His promises because His unfailing love rests on us. Glory to God in the Highest!
Tree Photo by Arun Kuchibhotla on Unsplash
I’ve been thinking about Hope this week as we celebrate the first week of Advent. I’ve looked up Hope in Webster’s, the Hebrew and Greek meanings. It has especially meant a lot to me as I’ve struggled with concern about my mom’s future living place. I began feeling fear and worried but as I studied Hope and spent time with my Lord, I began to anticipate what God will do. That then led to gratitude for His faithfulness through all my mom’s years. I don’t know the answer yet to what will happen for her but my anticipation is resting in HOPE.
Thank you so much for sharing. I so appreciate the insight of hope leading to gratitude, which also provided peace. So many times I think I want this one thing from God, like hope or an attitude of gratefulness, and He provides beyond.