Joy of Fulfillment

Most people can think about things for which they have had great anticipation.  Maybe that anticipation was a birthday, Christmas time, a new bike, a new game player, a new car, or a new home.  Possibly, you have anticipated the visit of a friend or relative whom you have not seen for some time.  Most likely all of us can think of things for which we have anticipated and most likely there will be further anticipations in the years ahead.  Anticipation is the excitement that a person has about looking forward to something that will bring a smile to their face, provide a note of joy to their heart, and fill them with a sense of great satisfaction. 

Most of the time anticipation is positive because the fulfillment will bring much happiness to the individual.  However, sometimes anticipation can be negative, especially when the individual has anticipated something for a long but it has not yet materialized.  This might result in a feeling of “dreaded expectation” and it may also produce fear or anxiety, rather than hope, and trust. 

From a biblical perspective, anticipation is a confident belief that what God has said will take place.  Another word for biblical anticipation is “faith.”  Faith as a general term is quite different than Biblical faith.  When someone has general faith, they have a “hope so” attitude.  They expect that something may happen, but in reality, it may not happen.  When someone has biblical faith, they have a “know so” attitude.  With Biblical faith they can be completely confident that what God has said will come to pass.  Hebrews 11:1 explains it this way, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Here are several important aspects of the statement from Hebrews.

(1) “Faith” – Is the actual anticipation of that which is expected.

(2) “Confidence” – Is Biblical faith because there is certainty in what is hoped for.

(3) “Assurance” – Is the guarantee that what is anticipated will essentially transpire – a “know so” attitude.

To sum up our discussion, anticipation is looking ahead and preparing for what God has already said and promised.  Joy comes when the result of anticipation has been fulfilled or completed. What do you look forward to?  What do you anticipate.  Is your anticipation a “hope so” kind of faith, or a “know so” kind of faith?  If you are looking for something for which you can be completely confident that it will actually happen, then go to the Bible and check out some of God’s promises such as “new birth”, “a living hope”, and “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” Here’s what the Apostle Peter says in his 1st Epistle.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”  I Peter 1:3-5

Time to Turn to God

Because of the pandemic situation in which we find ourselves, people often wonder, “What is most significant for me and my family?”  In what or in whom should I trust?  Should I trust in the national health authorities?  Governmental officials?  Human knowledge?  Should I wait until a vaccine is developed to take care of the pandemic?  What about trusting in a mask to keep me safe?  What about maintaining a social distance of 6-feet from other people? We could turn to all of these things but even so, there is still a certain amount of risk in each of these.

People would probably feel more comfortable if the amount of risk they face was reduced substantially or eradicated all together.  So, here is a good question for us to ask.  Is there anything or anyone that I can turn to in which I can have complete certainty?  What will give me the assurance for which I am searching?

I suggest that we take a look at the Old Testament in the Bible which tells about a king in the land of Israel whose name was Jehoshaphat.  The Israelites discovered that enemy forces were coming together against them.  In fact, these enemy forces turned out to be a huge army.  We are told that Jehoshaphat's first response to the imminent invasion was that of being alarmed.  He was afraid for himself and his people.  However, what he chose to do was to pray to God and then ask the people of Israel to fast and join him in prayer.  In Jehoshaphat’s prayer he said, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (II Chronicles 20:12).

In this prayer Jehoshaphat identified three things that were extremely important for the Israelites and and for him.  He suggested that (1) Human power was inadequate.  As a result it would be useless for anyone to turn to this kind of power.  (2) Knowledge would be insufficient.  As much as knowledge helps in other situations, by itself it would not be enough to defeat a huge army.  (3) The correct person to turn to was God.  To turn to God - the One who has divine authority and is omnipotent (all-powerful) - was the right choice.  Jehoshaphat turned to God because God had helped Israel with His great power in the past and He surely would do so again.

One of the priests of Israel encouraged Jehoshaphat not to be afraid or discouraged because of the great difficulty the nation was facing.  The reason, he reminded him, was simply because the battle was not theirs but it was God’s.  This did not mean that the Israelites were to stay in their tents, cover their heads and avoid the battle altogether.  He told Israel that they were to take up their positions and stand.  In other words, they were to get ready for battle.  Even with battle-readiness the Lord would be the one to deliver them – and He did.

Keeping our eyes on God and placing our trust in Him is the only action that will give you and me complete assurance and confidence during troubled times. Maybe it is about time for us as individuals, and as a country, to turn to God.

Confidence Amid Change

Change is something that affects all of us and we often resist it.  In spite of resisting some change there is other change that we personally accept – like purchasing a different home, accepting a new job, moving to another city or state, or getting married.  We readily accept these changes because we have control over them.  Other changes are those that we gradually slide into.  For example, instead of phone calls from friends and family we receive a text which initiates a texting conversation.  Very seldom do we pick up a dictionary or encyclopedia for an answer to a question.  Instead, we pick up our phones and ask “Google.”

There is another kind of change that most people do not like – and that is change that makes things worse for them.  People resist this kind of change because they personally lose control or they face an unknown situation. Peter Senge has wisely said, “People don’t resist change. They resist being changed.”  Most change brings instability.  That is why many people like to know what the boundaries are and be reasonably sure of what will happen.  They want the kind of change on which they can rely and that which gives them confidence during a time of need.

There are two things that I know in which we can be completely confident, and which will never change.  These are – God and God’s Word.  Regarding God, the Bible tells us, “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6); and, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). These statements give us confidence because we discover that we can always count on God.  He is always there for us.  He will always act in the same way.  And He is the same now as He was years ago and how He will be in the future.  Regarding the Word of God Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” I Peter 1:25 continues by saying, “The word of the Lord endures forever”. These verses give us the confidence that we can completely rely on God’s Word because it will last when other things change and fade away.  As a result we can be assured of and can fully count on what God’s Word says.

Are you anxious about something that is happening to you or in your world today?  Do you desire stability that gives you confidence, assurance and hope during troubling times? Why not put your trust in that which will never change?  Why not turn to God in simple faith and rest in His promises?  Why not open the Bible and discover what God wants to tell you?  In both God and His Word, you will find strength and steadiness to help you during times of turbulence, uncertainty and doubt.