“…Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, who is the help of my countenance and my God” (Ps. 43:5b).
Almost every day, I think about this verse in Psalm 43. God sings a reminder about three powerful verbs that bring focus and joy. Then these verbs become my action steps for a new year.
Verb One: Wait.
“Wait” is an action word, even though it sometimes carries a passive content. This wait does not imply that I sit around, eat chocolate and feel sorry for myself. Rather, it implies an intense period of trust in God, knowing that he is at work on my behalf. He will do what is best for me and continue to make his Jeremiah 29:11 plan for me happen.
To wait on the Lord means to let him take care of the details, move his puzzle pieces around and open doors for me.
Verb Two: Hope.
Staying in hope is vital, because without it, the enemy throws discouragement down my throat. Hope is the action word for the foundation of faith. Because I know God has a good plan for me in this new year, I focus on the one who created hope and believe that his answer will appear.
Verb Three: Expect.
I fully expect God to surprise me with something incredible this year. He is the one who has gifted me and decides which works I will do and how my words will glorify him. I expect him to open doors that no one can shut, to help me be a witness wherever I go and to place me where I can serve him best.
Wait. Hope. Expect. Three powerful verbs that I’m focusing on this new year. Then Psalm 43 concludes with another verb to wrap it up: Praise.
RJ Thesman writes from the heartland of Kansas where she lives with her adult son and an elderly cat. As the author of “The Unraveling of Reverend G,” Thesman writes about hope within the shadows of Alzheimer’s. The second book in the Reverend G series, “Intermission for Reverend G,” is scheduled for release in April, 2014.
Follow RJ on her blog at www.rjthesman.net and connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RJThesman
and Twitter: @rjthesman.
♥ this scripture now. It's beautiful! Thank you for this devotional, RJ!