From the Preacher's Pen

From the Preacher's Pen September 2009

Expectant Hearts

          Good morning: What are you expecting God to do in your life today? I could not help but think of all the people who approached Jesus; and who came to Jesus anticipating and expecting great things. Isn't that the way God wants us to approach him in prayer and worship. God wants us to come by faith in Him with expectant hearts. One of my favorite accounts is recorded in Luke 18:35-42. A blind man is sitting by the roadside begging and when he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see", he replied. Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight, your faith has healed you." Isn't that exciting? Little could this man have know when he woke up that morning to go and sit by the roadside begging how his life was going to be drastically changed. What changed this man's life that day was his expectant heart. When he knew that he was in the presence of Jesus who is full of mercy his expectant heart called out to Jesus. He expected great things to happen in the presence of Jesus. Wow what a great lesson and challenge for each of us as we pray and worship the Lord. Never be afraid to come to Jesus with an expectant heart. Fear will not allow many to come with an expectant heart because they are afraid that all of their expectations will not be met. However in that fear they also miss the times when Jesus wants to restore their sight or restore to them the joy of their salvation with his forgiveness.

          Prayer and worship are experiences that we as Christians enjoy because we too approach Jesus knowing that he is full of mercy. We believe that he can heal, forgive sins and restore our spiritual lives. Faith allows us to have expectant hearts. James said, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If 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!" It sounds to me like God expects his children of faith to have expectant heartswhen they pray and as they worship doesn't it?

          As we make the transition into the fall and winter season; as we set by the roadside of life as it normally is for us, little do we know how Jesus will change our lives when we by faith approach him with EXPECTANT HEARTS. Don't miss all the blessing of what Jesus will do, because of the fear of what he may not do. Remember he loves us and knows what is best for us. Expectant hearts approach Jesus trusting that his love knows what is best for us. Look at the expectant hearts of people in the Bible that came to Jesus by faith and whose lives were changed. Look at the Leper in Luke 5:12 or the friends of the paralytic in 5:17, or the Centurion in Luke 7 and the list of expectant hearts whose lives and the lives of those around them were changed could go on and on. I love what Jesus told the Demon possessed man in Luke 8:39, when the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." It's the privilege of expectant hearts to tell others how much God has done for us. AMEN!