Anticipation

Last summer my husband, along with my parents, and I made a trip to see my son who lives in South Dakota. I had not seen him in a year because we live several hundred miles away from him. The night before the trip I was busy preparing for trip, packing and getting snacks and drinks to take along for the trip (you would think I was moving for all the stuff I took along). It was going to be a long trip that would take us about 20 hours. We had decided that we would make the trip non-stop, stopping only long enough for small breaks and to get something to eat. The anticipation of the trip prevented me from sleeping much that night before we left because I knew that within a short time I would see my son and I was so excited. Halfway into the trip we were beginning to feel the exhaustion of the long ride. We had played cards, watched movies, tried to sleep some but after 12 hours on the road we were getting tired. Jim and my father were doing most of the driving while my mother and I were the tag team keeping the men awake. While I was resting in the back of the van I heard my husband and my father discussing the possibility of stopping for the remainder of the night and getting up early the next day to finish the trip. I quickly rose from my semi-slumber and rebuked them for the very idea that we should not continue on as planned. How could they even think such a thing? I was on a mission to get to South Dakota in the shortest time possible. I wanted to see my son. They quickly dismissed the idea and we continued on.

All along the trip my son would call to find out our progress and what time we expected to arrive. He was just as excited about the visit as I was. When we arrived at our hotel my son met us there and we hugged and laughed and, of course, I cried. The journey was complete and the reward was seeing my son in the flesh.

God sees our coming to Him in much the same way. The anticipation mounts and when we finally arrive God is waiting to receive us with open arms. All of heaven is rejoicing upon our arrival. Can you picture in your mind the scene unfold as God receives a child into the Kingdom of heaven. For some it has been a long difficult journey; one that has been filled with heartache and suffering. Some are still making the journey but the anticipation of the reward is worth the wait in getting there. Still others are nearing the end of their journey and the anticipation of seeing their Heavenly Father increases with every passing day.

In the Webster’s Dictionary the word anticipation is defined as a pleasurable expectation or wishing with confidence of fulfillment.

I love the way that God weaves those moments into our lives that give us a glimpse into His nature. He has such a wonderfully marvelous way of letting us see His heart through the windows of our everyday lives.

In Romans 8:18-21 Paul wrote “That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.” ( The Message) Can you see it, God holds nothing back when we come to Him. Just as I held nothing back when I finally saw my son, the laughter and the tears of joy. God holds nothing back when we come to Him either for the first time or when we see Him face to face. There is an excited expectancy that all of heaven is involved in. Whether we face difficult times or good times there is to be a joyful expectancy as we wait for “what is coming next” and our reward is made complete in Him. At that moment God Himself will hold nothing back as you finally meet Him face to face!