Come Anticipating

 

This may sound like a sad confession, but sometimes the highlight of a housewife’s daily routine is the anticipation of a long-awaited package. It’s surprising how an entire day’s agenda can revolve around the delivery of that box. Often, the only tracking information you get is a vague promise that it will arrive "By End of Day." You know the package is certainly coming, but the uncertainty about whether it will arrive in the morning, afternoon, or even late at night can drive you insane.   The most annoying is when a signature is required. I find myself entertaining the silliest mental debate: do I risk a quick run to the grocery store and possibly miss the deliveryman, or do I stay home and keep waiting? I end up keeping a close watch from the living room window, always sneaking glances for any sign of a delivery truck. The anticipation is so real.

I realized that this same kind of eager anticipation should carry over into our quiet moments with God. When I sit in stillness, waiting for the Lord to instruct and guide me through His word, I need to approach Him with the same expectancy and readiness.

The prophet Hosea urges his readers to do the same when he says...

Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” (Hosea 6:3 NLT)

The prophet assures us that if we press on and don’t give up waiting, God will respond—just as surely as the morning arrives each day. 

He also compares it to the coming of the spring rains. Other translations refer to the “early and latter rains” or the “late rains”.

It's like waiting with anticipation for rain in the springtime, you know it will surely come, but whether it arrives early or late in the season, or at the start or end of the day, remains uncertain.  Still, the promise is sure.