Peaceful Expectation

Bread

The Lion Loosed

21 “See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 1:21 (NIV)

19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

Palm 31:19 (NIV)

13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Palm 27:13-14 (NIV)

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:14-16 (NIV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10 (NIV)

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?

Palm 27:1 (NIV)

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Palm 23:6 (NIV)

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Palm 34:8 (NIV)

11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

Isaiah 32:17 (NIV)

24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Palm 31:24 (NIV)

21 March on, my soul; be strong!

Judges 5:21 (NIV)

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

Butter

The Lesson Learned

“Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I don’t know what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until You shall halt the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if You keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the full conviction that You will yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower.” Charles H. Spurgeon

“He whispered to my soul that fallow seasons aren’t meant for hurry. They’re meant to undo the hardwired muscle memory of labor, to reorient our bodies, minds, and souls to the unrushed pace of God. They’re meant to teach us to dance to the unforced rhythm of grace. Fallow seasons are meant to bring life in a way it hadn’t been before. They aren’t seasons of death though it may look like it on the surface for a moment. Instead, they are the transition period between death and new life, between ashes and beauty. The transition is slow. When all the sanctifying of my character and the healing of old wounds in the wilderness season didn’t magically turn into blossoms, my impatient self was confused. I expected it to be more like a time-lapsed video where a seed sprouts into a flower in just a couple of minutes. But God has the clarity of seeing things from eternity to eternity. He is not bound by time, and so He is patient. He is never annoyed with the slowness of transformation but always delights in the intricate care of redeeming burned things. And He is not done with us in the midst of fallow seasons. We are the land being cultivated. We are the farmer, sitting and watching His grace do its work. We are the wildflowers that will bloom. We are all these things, but we are not the sower. God is the one who does the work of cultivation. He is the Good Sower — not of plants grown in perfect rows or roses that grow in neat flower beds. He is a Sower who flings the seeds of wildflowers into the field, cares for them, and delights in their unpredictable beauty. He is the one who invites us to rest as He does the work and to wait in peaceful expectation for what’s to come. He burns away the old with fire and cultivates the land for the new things He is doing in our lives, allowing light and water to reach down deep, awakening and breaking open the seeds that have laid dormant before to thrive in the soil He has made good. What will come is a mystery, and we gain nothing when we rush into seasons we’re not ready for. So sit with Him, rest with Him, watch Him do His good and holy work while the land still lies fallow.” Grace P. Cho

“Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of spiritual life.” Simone Weil

“Let God do with me whatever He will; whatever it be, it will be either heaven itself or some beginning of it.” William Mountford

“We can wait in eager expectation rather than wringing our hands in worry as God has promised to cause all things to work together for our good and we can trust Him in any and every circumstance. He is ever faithful to His promises and loving towards all He has made. He loves us with an everlasting love and His eye is ever on us. He was faithful in the past, He is faithful today and He will be faithful tomorrow. What a gracious and loving God we serve. BHY

“Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectations.” Andrew Murray

“Let me carefully mark the inward workings of thy grace, and the outward tokens of thy providence, so as daily to have a true sense of thy gracious presence in every thing, more or less important; and thereby to be ever strengthened in faith, and kept in a composed state of mind; considering that nothing happens by mere chance, but all is wisely ordered by thy providential care to our good; firmly believing, if anything goes contrary to expectation, that something better will follow in its stead, if we only can be quiet, and wait the time.” K.H. Von Bogatzky

“We block Christ’s advance in our lives by failure of expectation.” William Temple

“Faith – Forsaking All I Trust Him. It is faith in Him not faith in us nor faith in faith, but faith in Him. Faith is the confident expectation that God will do what He says He will do. It is standing securely on the Truth of His Word which keeps us from being swayed by false doctrines and it is honored by and pleases God.” BHY

“Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side.” Katharina von Schlegel

Heart Savor

The Lion Roars

  • We are never to be lacking in zeal but keep our spiritual fervor serving the Lord.
  • We are to be zealous for the Lord’s great Name – through His power for His glory.
  • Create in me a pure heart and a steadfast spirit Oh Lord.