Unforced, Unshakeable Expectation

     Don Poythress and Tony Wood penned the lyrics, “Whether we come with words of praise and thankfulness. Whether we come with hearts of hurt and heaviness. Jesus, always as we enter this place, we come with expectation…"  Expectation in this expression is the sense of anticipating God’s presence in our current circumstances, wherever we find ourselves. God is very fond of rewarding this outlook.
     During a family fishing trip last July (2011) we lost an expensive pyramid shaped anchor. When the rope snapped and the anchor sunk, so did my heart. I remember praying as a few of us jumped in the water. After a considerable amount of searching we gave up. Off and on this spring I had the fleeting thought of searching while the weeds were not fully developed. There was still a glimmer of hope in my heart. Recently, we were fishing in a familiar stretch of water. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about the lost anchor. Suddenly, something on the bottom caught my eye in five feet of water. It was our anchor. What a find! I think God smiled.
     When trouble strikes, finding an answer can be like searching for that hard to find anchor. God’s help is needed to see past the waves and glare on the surface. Thankfully, He’s provided a marvelous refocusing tool. It is corporate worship! The writer of the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” E.Y. “Yip” Harburg once said, “Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.” When God’s presence is added to this powerful mixture the result is something insightful and life-changing for the true worshipper.
     Our churches are filled with people searching for answers. Their expectation in prayer probably involves the immediate. Give them something worth holding on to between the offering of prayer and God’s answer. Provide an atmosphere where feelings and thoughts can be refocused in worship! Whether we come with praise and thankfulness or hurts and heaviness, God is always there for those who approach Him expectantly. Who knows what would happen if the critical mass of an entire church were to gather in Godly, unforced, unshakeable expectation!

God is good,
Tim Covert