Expectancy

"Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Is 25:9

I have had one word on my mind the past couple of days.

Expectancy.

The weather has been a little unexpected for East Tennessee the last few days.  On Tuesday, we accumulated 3-4 inches of snow here, the most snow we have seen in years and it was completely unexpected!

On one of those snow days, I was trying to be a "good mom" and do all the things a good mom should do like go outside in the snow with the kids and then happily come in and make hot cocoa complete with marshmallows sprinkled on top.  The picture in my mind is one of us joyously playing in the snow and then snuggling up by a fire cupping our warm chocolate lattes.

However, the above is only a picture in my head.  The reality of the scene was actually quite different.  We came in from sledding and all of us were numb and grumpy from the cold.  My little angel of a girl said something disrespectful questioning my sled purchasing wisdom and suddenly this mom's temperature was rising with no need for hot cocoa.

I decided to take a warm shower to "cool" down.  Negative voices in my head pounded.

"You're not a good mom."
"You can't be at home with your kids, they will drive you crazy."
"You are a failure."   

Then, that negative accusing voice was hushed by a gentle whisper.  "That is not me."  The voice of the Lord interrupted and pressed stop on the defeating recordings.

Then, a miracle happened.  Soon after I was out of the shower,  a received a phone call from someone who normally is not very encouraging.

However, this day, God used this person to not only encourage me but also confirm a direction I have been asking the Lord about for months!

God used the person I least expected to encourage me on a day where the enemy had decided to launch an all out assault to discourage and discredit me from going forward with God's plan and direction.  

Immediately after the phone call, I had a peace and just had to laugh at the Lord's timing and provision in unexpected ways.

But, that leads me to the word on my heart--Expectancy.  

Shouldn't we expect God to move and act?   Yet,  I find I am often pleasantly surprised when I see Him at work. I don't think He minds us being surprised.  I think He likes to surprise us!  I know I like to surprise my friends.   However, knowing His character, I think He would also like us to expect Him to show up because He will!  

He showed up even when I wasn't expecting Him.  How much more will He show up when we do expect Him?  Or how much more will we notice His presence might be the better question.  He is there.  He is with us.  He is involved in our life.  Expect Him to act on your behalf.