Week 45 - #Prepare to Anticipate

Waiting with Anticipation

Hosea 12:6 - "Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually."

Romans 8:18 - "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I once attended a weekend gathering where we were constantly instructed by the facilitators to not anticipate. Although the overall experience was a life-changing event, for me to not anticipate went against my normal standard operating procedure!

One definition of anticipation is “a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen.”

I am not sure about you, but I like having feelings of excitement in anticipation for the day's activities!

To anticipate is in the same “family” of preparation. Sort of like "siblings."

I have heard it said, “anticipation is about preparing and making room for what you know is yours by faith.”

In other words, it is getting ready for what God has in store for you and looking forward to what’s next!

To anticipate helps us to prepare not only for the good times but can also see us through our struggles. Paul reminds of this in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

In our preparation to anticipate, we gain balance, ensuring our active anticipation doesn’t turn into anxiety. Our preparation to anticipate calls us to proactive action versus being caught off guard in frozen anxieties.

There’s so many daily experiences we can face with anticipation, fueling our purpose, and adding zest to our life. In Hebrews 11:1 we read how anticipation is tied to things to come, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

In your preparation this week where do you need to add anticipation?

DADs...be reminded that anticipation is not impatience, but serves as part of the discernment for God's opportunities He reveals, and offers daily.

Many times anticipating occurs in the actual quiet still moments of our lives. In our waiting our preparation to anticipate will become clear.

In our preparation to anticipate let us heed the instructions found in Hosea 12:6, to, "Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually."

DADs…Will you wait with me?

To God be the glory!

DADs “get in the game”…

Today is game day…and so is every day…

God gives you! So…C’mon Men Suit Up!

**Today we prepare to“Anticipate." Next week we will consider how critical it is to prepare for considering “Detours" in our lives.

*For this new year of 2021, the combination of my age (understanding my own fragile mortality), this current and ongoing global pandemic, and most recently the personal loss I’ve experienced of one of my students, has amplified the need to land on one word...#Prepare.

In this "pursuit to prepare" I am determined to dedicate the 52 weeks of 2021 blogging every Week about one aspect of preparation God lays on my heart.

As mentioned in week 1, the word “prepare” means “to establish, fix, or apply.” It conveys the idea of deliberate effort over a prolonged period of time.