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                             4-23-08

Expectation

            With the purchase of a new car several years ago, I thought my days of being broken down by the side of the road were over. I must have more to learn; however, because I found myself by the side of the road one evening, in the new car, with my two oldest sons. We had picked up the oldest at the airport for a week’s respite from the rigors of college, for Spring Break. All were eager to get home, but at 6:00pm on Good Friday, we found ourselves on the shoulder of I-25, unable to start or move the car, still 3 hours from home. A call for rescue on a dying cell phone left us somewhat sure that someone was on their way to collect us from the side of the road.  We did, however, have 3 hours to fill before someone would be along.

             In the boys’ younger years, we could have filled the time with all kinds of things- singing, those little road games you play with license plates and “cool rigs”, a little jaunt into the roadside desert to examine plants and look for creeping creatures. But not this time. Suggestions for all of those fun little things were met with rolled eyes, looks of “I can’t believe you would even mention something like that”, or glares. They have grown up. All there was left to do was wait.

            Even though we knew it was humanly impossible for dad to reach us in less than 3 hours, after the first hour, we all started watching oncoming traffic (across our 2 lanes and the median) searching for our rescue vehicle, which would be our big red Suburban. We passed another hour with chatting and listening to the CD player, which still worked, but still kept an eye on northbound traffic. The dusk was soon upon us. Do you know how many big red vehicles are on the road these days? Plenty, but only one would be ours. Only one would be our model, make and year, with the particular quirks of our vehicle. As we watched, approaching headlights in the increasing darkness (we were fortunate there was a full moon) we were intent on spotting OUR vehicle.

             All this made me think about our Heavenly Father. We are looking for Christ’s return- or at least we should be. I wonder if we are looking for God as eagerly and intently as my sons and I looked for my husband’s arrival that night. Jesus said to be watchful and ready. He would return to take His people home. There is evidence through out the New Testament that the early Christians thought His return would be in their lifetime. They were EAGERLY awaiting it. As time and life have gone on, has our eagerness and alertness to His return waned?  Are we even looking for it at all? Psalm 53 says that God looks from heaven on the sons of men to see if anyone is paying attention. To see if there is anyone who understands (acts wisely) and who seeks after God. The psalmist goes on to say there is no one that God finds that is doing that good thing.

             We go about our business, confident that as Christians, when Christ returns, He will just zip us up with Him, and all will be OK. Oh, we may have to leave in the midst of our enjoyment of our life here on earth, which will be disappointing, but the joys of heaven will well compensate for what we have left behind. Could we be spoiled Christians, living our own way, ambivalent to the truth of the spiritual kingdom we have been born anew into, and now have our chief residence in? Or do we forget that we are strangers and aliens here, and truly belong to another world. We are to be involved in the work He has for us to do here on earth, and all the time “looking for His appearing” (Titus 2:13, 2Peter 3:12)

            We look for His appearing in two ways. World affairs these days have everyone talking about the last days, the Great Tribulation, and if we are on the verge of Jesus’ imminent return to the earth. Many people speak of the soon (as in a year.or two) return of the Lord of the universe upon the earth. We are given signs of the times in the Bible, and many of those signs are occurring in our world today. We need to be watching and ready for Jesus to return to the earth for us. We need to be watching and ready for the Day of the Lord. (Will He find us making disciples? Gathering souls to go with us on our journey into eternal life with Him?)

              On a much closer to the heart issue, is the second way we look for His appearing. We do it on a moment –by- moment basis, every day, in everything. When David speaks of anyone understanding, acting wisely, and seeking after God (Psalm 53:2) he is talking about our moment-by-moment, everyday life. Are we seeking God as we go about our tasks and business every day? Are we looking for Him in our days? Can we see His hand and fingerprint on all we encounter within a day of our life? No matter what we are going through, are we seeking to see Him at work in it all- Him at blessing in it all- Him at instructing in it all? Do we see and realize that each moment is a gift from God? Each breath is possible because He wills it and gives it?

             The scripture says that those who wait for the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power. (Isaiah 40:31a) That ‘wait’ means those who expect and look for and hope in Him. Do we go through our days expecting to see God at work in our lives, expecting Him to manifest Himself and ways to us, expecting Him to bless and favor us? Do we look for the ways He is at work in our lives, look for Him to show Himself and His ways to us, look for the ways He has blessed us this day?

             Isaiah 30:18 also says:

 Therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

             He is looking and longing to be gracious to us and show us loving kindness, and we are supposed to be looking and longing for Him! How can we lose? If He is longing and looking for us, and we are longing and looking for Him, we are going to connect in utter joy and fulfillment. This is the abundant life- a life of moment-by-moment looking for His appearance in our everyday life and a moment-by- moment of Him appearing! He is looking, expecting to find. We are looking, expecting to find. Together we do find, and join in complete fellowship.  What a wonderful promise for life- God is looking for someone to be good to. All He needs is someone expecting, looking and longing for God’s goodness.

             What joy we felt when we finally spotted our rescue vehicle that Good Friday night. Our rescuers were looking for us and we were looking for them. We finally made the connection. God is looking for someone to be good to. Are you looking for His goodness? Are you searching for His appearance in your life?