Some of you have been waiting for this moment for months. That’s right. Today, as a continuation of what we got yesterday, we’re experiencing warmer weather. I stress the word “warmer” because to some of you, this is still fairly cold. Although, if you consider that it wasn’t that long ago that temperatures were in the single digits, you kind of have to admit, this is a heat wave. Yes warm weather fans, if this winter has dragged you down and left you feeling a little worn out, now is the beginning of your moment. It’s what you’ve been waiting for.

Spiritually speaking, there has been a verse on my heart the last week or so. You’re probably very familiar with it. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Growing up in the church, that was the go to scripture of choice whenever life had you feeling beaten, weary, etc. And it was the go to scripture for a reason. It’s the most perfect advice for the moment. What better place is there to be then at the feet of God when you need renewal? Interestingly enough though, the word for “wait” in hebrew has several different meanings. Of course it can mean wait, but it also can mean hope and expectancy. That’s exactly what I want to key in on with this today. Expectancy. Don’t disregard expectancy!

Now, i’m not telling you to abandon waiting on the Lord. Far from it. Rather, I want to encourage you to wait with expectancy. See, to me, waiting implies a location. If you ask for someone to wait for you, you’re usually telling them to stay in one spot. And that spot is very important in this case because of where that particular spot is. It’s close in proximity to God. If you’re ever going to wait somewhere, it’s the best place to stay. But here’s the thing. You can actually wait somewhere with total disbelief in your heart. Let me give you an example that I remember from my childhood. I remember the occasion here and there when I was in my early teen years, coincidentally the years I thought I knew best, that I would head to the store with my mom. She’d ask me if I wanted to come in with her. Of course, in those moments, the answer was no but her reply was usually the same. “Stay right here. I’ll be right back. It’ll just take a minute.” So there I would sit, not moving from the car. Did my geographic location change? No. I was waiting. Did I think she’d really be right back? Not a chance. Now, looking back, it probably wasn’t that long at all, but I certainly had no expectancy that this was going to be a quick trip. And here’s the thing. Sometimes, we do the same thing to God.

In our moments of deep need, there are moments where we genuinely get before the Lord. We try to wait upon Him, while the whole time, we’re thinking, “Yeah but I should probably make a backup plan in case You don’t come through.” Church, we can’t live like that. The lack of expectancy will lead to stagnation, and ultimately, to more weariness. So if you find yourself in a moment of life that has you tired, has you run down, do two things that will benefit your heart: 1. Run to God and wait before Him. This is where your heart needs to be. 2. Do it with expectancy that God will come through and give you the strength you need. It’s the joy in knowing that He can and will give your heart exactly what it’s longing for. – Pastor Joe

Saturday evening, I got back home around 11pm and it had been a long day. Not a bad day by any stretch but a long day. I had to run some errands in the morning, went to pick up food for the church launch, headed straight to the building, helped set up for our service, lead worship, etc. The Church Launch went off without a hitch. If you were there with us, I enjoyed every single minute of it. It was a phenomenal time of God’s Presence and fellowship with family in Christ. As you’d probably expect though, by the time it was over and done, by the time we had locked the building up, and by the time I got home, I was absolutely exhausted. My initial thought as I walked into my room was, “God, I accomplished a lot today huh?” But as my mind drifted back to Pastor Ben’s sermon, I thought, “That’s not really the right question.” (See? I do listen Pastor Ben) The real question was, “God, were You pleased by what I did today? Did it bring You glory? Did it make You happy?” Thankfully, I believe the answer to that question was “yes”. But this isn’t a blog about my personal journey through life. This is about all of us, and today, I just want to remind you of what I think is the “proper question” for the end of this day, wherever it finds you.

“God, did I please Your Heart?”

I have the ability to do an infinite amount of things during the day. Given all the opportunities that fly by in any given 24 hour period, there really is an almost limitless amount of options set before us. But the reality of it is that despite my many options, my being was made for one purpose. I was made by God, through God, and for God. Revelation 4:11 testifies that truth, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” It truly puts all of my decisions in life into the proper perspective. Does it matter how much it looks like I accomplished if God wasn’t pleased by it? I mean, if the entirety of my being was made to make Him happy, does it ultimately matter if I did all the things that “I” wanted to do? I don’t think so. I’m not saying there aren’t moments to enjoy life though. Enjoy fellowship with others. Go spend time with your family. Those are absolutely wonderful things. But at the end of the day, ask yourself one question and really contemplate it in your heart. Did I please His Heart or mine? – Pastor Joe