Are you feeling overwhelmed these days? What do you want, hope and believe God will do through this current crisis? How can we move from feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances to experience the overflow of God’s presence and provision?
Our answer to these questions reveals our level of anticipation and faith. This theme of faith and anticipation weaves its way through all of Scripture. Faith led Noah to build an ark for 120 years. Faith caused Abraham to be willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. The faith of a Roman Centurion anticipated that if Jesus just uttered the word, his son would be healed.
The Bible declares that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). So what is it about “faith” that makes God smile? Our faith, no matter the size, puts the wheels of heaven into motion. Jesus reminds us, “what is impossible with men is possible with God.” Faith requires us to look beyond ourselves to God for the answers.
And it’s anticipation that drives us to look to God and place our hope and trust in Him. Anticipation is a great word. It is a cousin to expectation, excitement, faith, and suspense. The dictionary defines anticipation as “a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen; the act of preparing for something.” Faith pleases God because it creates an opportunity to reveal His power.
What are you trusting God for? We need to practice the spiritual discipline of anticipation. Would you dare to still believe the Word of God, Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20, NLT). God honours faith and He smiles when we have a spirit of anticipation.
So this Sunday, we want you to do something special to prepare for our service. Find yourself some sort of jar in your home and bring it with you as you join us for our online service. Get your whole family involved. Everyone needs to have a jar! And be sure to come with anticipation and faith in your heart too!
Every blessing,
Pastor Barry Risto
Lead Pastor