“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the God is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Is. 30:18)
Currently I’m pregnant with our second child. Having been through the newborn stage once before, I know its difficulty – the unpredictability, the stress, the sleepless nights. As a result, instead of enjoying this pregnancy, I’m frequently lost in my anxieties and worries for this upcoming stage of life.
In the book SOS Help for Emotions, the author Dr. Lynn Clark talks about several lies that we tell ourselves which contribute to our feelings of anxiety. One of these lies is that I can prevent or improve bad outcomes by worrying about them ahead of time (my paraphrase). If I’m honest with myself, I know that I often give into this lie with my thoughts and my behaviors.
Due to my anxieties, I plan ahead. As a planner, that’s what I do. When I’m anxious, I make preparations in hopes to minimize future stress levels. Even though I logically know that planning ahead doesn’t actually control or prevent all future negative outcomes, I still do it.
Part of this behavior is good because it helps me to be responsible and conscientious. However, part of this behavior is bad for several reasons. One, it steals my joy from today. Two, it negatively affects my relationship with the Lord when I don’t actively trust in Him. And three, it robs me of the rewards that come with waiting expectantly in Him.
Many verses in the Bible talk about the rewards that come for those who not only trust in God, but also hope in Him. As they are often listed separately, there seems to be a difference between trusting in God and hoping in Him. Trusting in God means to rest in Him, but hoping in God seems to be more active. It seems to mean expecting good things from Him.
Throughout my life, I have always struggled with the concept of “hope” in the Bible. I seem to grasp faith and love much easier than hope. In fact, many times the idea of hope makes me mad. Perhaps my carnal nature associates hope with flightiness and “head in the clouds” type thinking. Despite this fact, I can’t deny the many times in the Bible where hoping and waiting expectantly for God are met with reward, blessing, and honor.
For example, Isaiah 30:18, which says “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the God is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” Also, Lamentations 3:24, which says “The Lord is good to those who wait on Him, to the person who seeks Him.” And then of course the more popular verse Isaiah 40:31, which says “but those who hope in [or wait upon] the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
If I believe in God’s Word and in His promises, then I will not only rest in Him (by not trying to plan everything), but I will also expect good things from Him. Therefore, instead of dreading the newborn stage (or whatever stage of life you’re worrying about), I will meet it with hopeful anticipation, knowing that He has good things in store for me and for my son. And in so doing, I will be able to experience the completeness of His blessings and love.
*This content was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s YouVersion Devotional study “The Greatest Gift”