I have recently started tis new Bible study called Waiting for Hope. I found it a bit fitting that I had started it shortly after I started this blog. It's a study on Malachi and his final message of Christ the Messiah coming to save the world. In just the first chapter of Malachi, I couldn't help but notice that MULTIPLE times the Bible refers to God as "the Lord of Armies". Just earlier today I had a friend reiterate that the Lord goes before us. Now, back tracking a little over a year ago, I bought this Bible study for me and my husband to do together. We had wanted to have a baby so desperately and for some reason, that just wasn't in the cards. So I bought this study in hopes that it might be a cure for my aching heart and give me some sense of peace in my current circumstance. Of course I had only read the first page, and I put it down up until now. Now. Well, right now, my husband and I are trying to get foster certified. We're taking the classes, filling out the paperwork. In expectation of one day, receiving a placement. In expectation of one day welcoming a child into our home. In expectation of one day sharing life with another person. In expectation of something different. When we go to college, we go with the expectation of a new life, new experiences, and new friends. When we say yes to that new job, we say yes with the expectation that it will fill that financial void in our pocket, or give us more free time, or set us closer to our dream job. Most of the time, we, as humans, don't do much of anything without expecting much in return. Even in our walk with God. We pray, with the expectation that we might feel better. That our hopes and aches might be heard. We welcome Jesus into our hearts with the expectation that the emptiness we feel inside, might just be fulfilled. I was thinking about this same thing as I was making myself a cup of tea. We turn on the stove with the hope that in time, the water will heat up. We pour the water over a tea bag with the knowledge that the tea will steep and bring out the flavor. We drink the tea either for comfort or health benefits. Whatever the reason may be, every step of the way is paved with expectation. If we are so willing to do this so lightly with our everyday lives, how much more should we be living with this kind of certainty and hope in our prayer lives? Malachi calls our God the "Lord of Armies". The Lord goes before you each and every day. Every step of the way He has already paved. His ways are not our ways. But the living Lord of Armies fights our battles and is there in the waiting, the trenches in no mans land, and even in your homes. Home. Homes are meant to be a place of refuge. J.R.R Tolkien speaks highly of the value of home in all of his books. Yet, the Bible speaks highly of another home. A home in which we have not yet seen. The Bible also speaks highly of those who left the comforts of their homes, for a higher calling. I think of Ruth, Moses, and my personal favorite, Abraham. People who changed their names and left behind everything they had ever known. Nothing in their life was perfect, easy or simple. It was messy, filled with heartache, betrayal, hard labor some work, and many trials. I'm sure Sarah and Abraham went the rounds together as they tried and tried for a family. I'm sure their faith wavered from time to time and I am sure Ruth's heart ached and mourned the loss of her husband. I'm sure it was no easy task for Moses to confront Pharaoh. I'm sure he too hated seeing the Egyptians go through and face the many plagues. Death is difficult to witness. Even Noah was haunted by the death and chaos he had witnessed during the flood. The depravity of man is a beast. And yet, each of these people obeyed and did the hard things, because why? They lived with expectation. Dear Christian, the very nature of having hope is to live with expectation. Expect God, to want the very best for your life. Expect God, to go before you in everything. Not just the hard things but also the good. We should know that everything is a gift from God and that He can use everything for His glory. We should live life with the same hope and assurance we do when we make a pot of coffee or brew a cup of tea. That something good will come of His greatness. The photo below are just coffee beans. There's something so sweet and special about opening a new bag of fresh coffee beans. The excitement we get when we spell potential. We smell the sweet aroma of something good to come. We should feel that same sense of comfort and excitement when we open our Bibles. Knowing that something good will come from this very bag of beans or Book of Truth.
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