Like any good Millennial Christian, I am a regular consumer of the YouVersion Bible’s reading plans and devotionals.
A recent one that got me thinking was, “Attitude of Expectancy.” There’s a line in one of the first readings that says, “Faith prepares for what it is expecting.” It got me thinking, what does walking in faith look like in my daily life?
When studying for an exam, you have a goal in mind. The grade you are hoping for dictates the effort that you put into your study. In a sense, you can determine your grade before setting foot in the examination room. In the same way, we can prepare for seasons of life.
I am who I will be
My mom had me do an exercise one time where I wrote down ten characteristics that I wanted to possess one day as a wife. Those ten characteristics have been sitting in the back of my mind since I was 14 and have shaped the choices that I have made daily.
I ask myself, “Is this the kind of person I want to be?”, regularly. In a sense, I have been preparing for who I expect to be. I have been living today as if I am already who I want to be, because future Petro is in here somewhere.
In the same vein, this devotional challenged me to live as though the things I am hoping for have come true.
I am not living in fear of death of loved ones, because I am living as though God has healed them.
I laid aside the mid-twenties fear of dying a spinster, instead walk with a soul as whole as one that is joined to another.
I check in with myself regularly to assess if I am growing into the woman that I want my children to look up to; someone who my Dad will be proud of.
Trust in the Lord
It seems somewhat naïve, as if I am living in a fantastical world that ignores the weight of reality. The truth is however, that I am trying to live in faith.
My Father has told me not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew chapter 6, verses 25 to 34), to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 17), and to know that His promises are yes and amen (2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 20).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6).
God is so clear in His Word how we are to posture our hearts, but I think we often forget this in our daily steps. We forget to put aside fear, to take off anxiety and to choose to have faith like a child.
Foresight
It is so easy to praise God for the good things He has done after the fact. The challenge lies in praising God in your petition.
It takes faith to walk out the promises of God before we see them come to fruition. Hindsight gives us 20/20 vision; we can understand why things happen and why God sometimes closes doors.
Having the faith to thank Him before the miracle happens, or not needing to know ‘why’ when you face a tall wall, takes courage. Walking out your future before the ‘yes’ comes is scary, but it practices faith.
God is not bound by time, yet our existence on earth is largely controlled by it. Our faith, however, should not be determined by our lack of knowledge of the future.
As we end this decade (yikes!) and enter into a new season of dreams, let us walk in to 2020 as if we have already achieved everything that it has in store. Let us live boldly, choosing God’s ‘yes’ over the world’s anxiety.
Let’s walk out our faith with expectance, by preparing for the life we want to live.
Petro is a currently completing her masters degree in Sport Leadership at the University of Miami (Oxford, Ohio). Originating from South Africa and growing up in New Zealand has given Petro a love for all things sport and travel. Writing is Petro’s way of making sense of the world around her and expressing the words God places on her heart.