Lost Expectancy

Yesterday was a beautiful garden day—the first chance I’ve had inSahnnon and Meghan Spring picts weeks. I dug spreading weeds, planted, mulched, and listened.

Birds chattered to each other. The breeze danced across the gardens. High and low leaves responded. My ears were tickled. My attention reached. I stopped digging and listened, with more than with my ears, but with my heart.

The last few weeks I had been on overload- too much and too many. Even though I knew I needed and depended on God to lead me through it all, I realized that the number of times I talked and God listened were too many and too much. My relationship was becoming one-sided.

Had I become indifferent and passive in my belief that God wanted to speak to me? Had I lost my excitement and expectancy that He wanted to and would speak to me when I approached Him through prayer, reading the Bible, and worship?

I am not saying that God wanted to speak with audible words. His ways are many and tailored to each of us. He brings insight, understanding, hope, peace, guidance through encouragement of others and Scripture, and if He chooses, He may be audible.

Sometimes life gets messy, painful, and heartbreaking, and we become discouraged or lose confidence that God will answer our prayers. Sometimes we become indifferent. We talk, yet we don’t listen. We don’t wait for a response.

I needed to listen! I grabbed my Bible, sat in my garden, prayed, and read with confidence, expecting that God wanted to speak to me.  I read favorite verses with a different perspective, with new eyes and an open heart, with anticipation.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you don’t know. (Jeremiah 33:3)

 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God, my Savior; my God will hear me.(Micah 7:7)

 Look … and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you wouldn’t believe, even if you were told. (Habakkuk 1:5)

 My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. (John 10:27)

 I reread that verse asking for understanding, clarity.

Listening “to my voice”

A Voice of the One who protects, nurtures, guides, leads, and loves. A Voice that is recognized, known from time spent together.

A RelationshipI know them”

A bond, a family, a relationship built over time. Times of listening, growing, and trusting until the relationship become one of knowing and following.

flowers from SC Gardens

flowers from SC Gardens

An Intimacy-

a loving relationship recognizing that God is Sovereign, Lord, and because He loves us, He wants to spend time together.

This is what we’re offered, an intimate relationship that comes when we listen with expectancy and anticipation.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

I am humbled, filled with gratitude, and thank God for His whispers … in my gardens, in His Word, and in my heart.

If you have lost your expectancy of God speaking to you, ask Him to speak to you today and for you to hear and discern His Voice.

He’s all about relationships.

Helen