Living with Alert Expectation

                                                                                                                                                                           

In the picture on the left my grandson, Carson, is looking out the window of the Sky Train in Vancouver. He had never been here before and did not want to miss a single detail. He was watching with 'alert expectation'.

In the picture on the right my son, Josh, is poised and ready to catch his nephew (also Carson) and wanted to make sure he did not miss the catch. He was waiting with 'alert expectation'. 

Two completely different scenarios. Two men, both living with alert expectation. 

 

“…Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention...” (Luke 13:24a, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

I am sensing that God is at work in our community, especially our Church Family. We have prayed, and are continuing to pray, for revival, awakening, renewal, etc. Am I expecting God to answer my prayers? Am I looking for his hand at work? Do I have a preconceived idea as to what it will or should look like?

““Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”” (Luke 16:8–9, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

In Luke 19 Jesus comes down from Mount Olive and weeps over Jerusalem:

“When the city came into view, he wept over it. “If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late.” (Luke 19:41–42, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the promised Deliverer, was in their midst and they did not recognize him. Jesus predicts the total destruction of Jerusalem, and it won’t be pretty.

“…All this because you didn’t recognize and welcome God’s personal visit.”” (Luke 19:44, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

I’ve often wondered why God stayed his hand and did not annihilate those who crucified his Son. But he didn’t stay his hand, his time was just different than one would expect. God waited until the Church was born and then he allowed Jerusalem to reap the consequences of her unbelief, her rejection of his Son the Messiah.

Jesus exhorts his followers to be alert, “Here are some things that you can expect to happen, and this is how I want you to respond.”

““It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking. “And then—then!—they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!”” (Luke 21:25–28, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Doesn’t this just seem like our world today, all hell breaking loose? We don’t know exactly when the help will arrive, but we can be absolutely certain help IS on the way. When help arrives – our glorious Saviour Jesus Christ – will he find us up on our feet with alert expectation? Or will he find us cowering in fear? Or complacently going about business as usual?

“So, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man.”” (Luke 21:36, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

“There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.” (Luke 23:50–52, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

I love that. Though Joseph of Arimathea was surrounded by men who did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah he lived with alert expectation of the kingdom of God. Jesus came and lived differently than the Jews were expecting. They were expecting a military leader who would deliver them from Roman occupation, not some common builder who was confronting the traditions and religious practices of the religion leaders; some guy who was pointing out all that was wrong with the hearts of man.

It's easy to stand in judgement of the Pharisees and religion scholars of the Bible; it’s quite another thing to see our own rejection of what Jesus is doing in our day, in our Church, in our family or community. Joseph recognized that which he was looking for, he lived with alert expectation, he knew the scriptures.

In one of the churches we were serving, we and many others were praying relentlessly for revival in our Church Family. One of our prayer warriors tenaciously clung to an expectation that revival would look like the Wesleyan Revival, people falling on their faces in repentance at the front of the church. People coming by the droves to prayer meetings, etc. What was happening was very different and much less overt. One by one people were getting saved, people were surrendering their lives to Christ’s leadership, people were being set free from addictions, many Life Groups were formed, and prayer meetings were sprouting up all over the place…not in the church building but in homes, in restaurants, on business trips, in the House of Commons…God was on the move, and it was glorious. But this gentleman could not see it because it did not look like he thought it was going to. He was missing the Messiah because he was looking for the wrong thing.

Living on this side of the cross, empowered by Holy Spirit, I can ‘live with alert expectation’ – not with preconceived ideas of how things are going to play out but in surrendering my agenda to God’s plan, knowing God’s character so I can recognize when he moves and adjust my steps accordingly.

“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” (Ephesians 6:13–18, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Live with alert expectation. Up on your feet. Be ready. Help is on the way. And don’t be surprised if it doesn’t look like you had hoped or thought. Be ready for different.