Encouraged in Every Season: Expectant Hope in a Season of Wonder (Part 10 of 12)

In this ENCOURAGED series, I am passionate about you knowing your Faithful God in every season of your life.  As you seek Jesus daily, I desire you to grow in your faith and relationship with Him so you can joyfully embrace Him as your true Encourager and proclaim His faithfulness to others.  I pray that you would hold on to the hope and peace found only in Christ and learn how to embrace whatever season you are presently in your life, bringing glory to Him.   

Continuing with the ENCOURAGED acrostic, the tenth practical way to be encouraged is to have:

E~Expectant Hope in a Season of Wonder

“In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3

In our lives, all of us at times have been in a season of wondering, waiting and hoping—wondering what will happen, what our present situation means, and what we should do next.

However, as we focus solely on our circumstances, we worry and fret about what is to come and lose sight of the ‘wonder and awe’ of our Almighty God.

Instead, may we be encouraged to set our thoughts on the ‘wonder and awe’ of God—the One who is greater than our circumstances. “He can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

God’s Word encourages us to “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right Hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1,2).

What if we changed our mindset from worrying to the ‘wonder and awe’ of the One sovereignly working in all of our uncertainties. Instead of focusing all of our attention on figuring out our circumstances, what if we decided to place our trust and gaze upon Him in wonder and awe, simply waiting upon Him.

Being in His Presence, resting in His knowing, and trusting in His sovereignty gifts us with the wonder and awe of Who He is and what He can and will do in our present circumstances.

The worrying and fretting only leads us down roads of uncertainty where our hearts and minds do not need to go; whereas, the ‘wonder and awe’ of God leads us to Him—our Rock, our Fortress, our Refuge, and our Strong Tower.

In a season of transition and deliverance, the Israelites chose to wander for forty years because they chose to turn their eyes and hearts from God. They willfully chose to do life according to their own timing and in their own ways, turning away from the Lord’s leading, His timing, and His ways.

They hardened their hearts to the wonder and awe of the One leading them. His Presence was His promise to them—guiding them every step of the journey, yet they, instead, chose to wander in circles.

What would have happened if they had intentionally turned their eyes upon Him in wonder and awe? Would they have arrived in their promised land in days instead of wandering for forty years in the wilderness?

In the same way, has our worrying, fretting, and complaining spirit turned into a ‘wandering’ in our own lives? Have we set our gaze upon everything else in this world—the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the things of this world—instead of the ‘wonder and awe’ of Him—Immanuel, God with us. “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16).

The Israelites exchanged the glory and Presence of God for the glory of another. Are we tempted to do the same? Have we lost the ‘wonder and awe’ of the glory of God?

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened…They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than their Creator—who is forever praised” (Romans 1:21-25).

Who or what are you living for? What captivates your attention, energy, and thoughts?

If we are not careful, we will inevitably make this same disheartening exchange of the awe and glory of God for another glory—whether it be self-exaltation, success, material things, or own our ‘appetites.’ We have created a replacement for God in our lives in every way possible.

In those moments of wandering, we have believed the lie that our substitutes for God will bring us the fulfillment, satisfaction, and purpose that we are seeking to find. Instead, we are left with only discontentment, frustration, and crushing disappointment.

Our sole purpose in life is the exaltation and glory of another—One who is greater, majestic, and almighty in power—the One True God.

The wonder and awe of God is the focus of this Christmas season and every season. We were created for His glory.

“Everyone who is called by My Name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7).

“For by Him all things were created…all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 3:17).

• Where have you allowed your thoughts and heart to wander away from God’s Presence and His leading?
• How can you intentional make the ‘wonder and awe’ of God’s glory the focus of your thoughts and in your heart in your present season?

~May we exchange the anxiety and worry of this season for the awe and wonder of Christ.