Waiting Expectantly

After trying to get pregnant for eight years, my husband and I conceived our second daughter, Annalee. As with most expecting parents, we spent a great deal of time discussing name ideas, researching meanings, and praying that God would lead us to the perfect name for our child. I remember calling out different names to see how it sounded. (Am I the only one that did that when naming a child?)

During that time, I was studying the Book of Luke, and the story of the prophetess, Anna, stood out to me in a way it had not before. Here’s her story:

Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord eight days after his birth. “The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord”. Luke 2:23

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along as Simeon was talking to Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38

What stands out to me is that Anna believed the redemption of Jerusalem was coming; and because she trusted, she waited expectantly. The word expectantly means, “thinking that something pleasant or exciting is going to happen'.” Although Scripture says Anna and the others in the Temple waited expectantly, I can’t help but wonder if Anna was patiently waiting. Was she tired? Did she grow weary? I bet she experienced many feelings and emotions during the years she waited just like my husband and I did as we awaited God’s promise of another child.

I could go on and on about our journey of feelings and emotions as we tried to get pregnant all those years, but what is more important is what God did during the waiting. A very dear friend of mine told me to be expectant during that season. It’s amazing how one little word can make such a big shift in your thoughts. Reading that Anna waited on the Lord “expectantly” is what stirred my spirit to know Anna would be a portion of Annalee’s name.

We shouldn’t miss what God does when we trust and wait on God’s plan. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)  Going through a waiting period with the Lord can be precious if we let our hearts and minds settle. Honestly, I wish I had learned this sooner during the time we were trying to conceive.  Our relationship with Christ can grow and strengthen during a time of waiting on a promise to come forth. There’s an unimaginable peace that comes when we can fully trust the Lord to do what He says He will do. It helps us to trust and live in peace when we go through the next hard thing. Just like Anna “talked about the child to everyone,” we should share our testimony to encourage others as well.

So, if you are waiting on the Lord for something, allow yourself to feel your feelings. Acknowledge your disappointment. Be sad and grieve. Be frustrated. God is ok with your emotions. He's your friend, talk it out with Him. Trust that He has your best interest at heart. Wait expectantly.

ACTIVATION: Are you believing in God for a promise to come to fruition?  Are you waiting expectantly and excited about whatever God has in store for you, or are you focused on the outcome?

ACTIVATION: Spend time with Jesus. Find a daily devotion for encouragement. (The Bible App has great short Devotionals on topics like this.) Spend quality time with your safe circle. Sit down with someone who’s experienced what you’re going through. Journal your thoughts and prayers. Listen to worship music and/or positive podcasts. Read or listen to books that lift your spirits. Get counseling.

Don’t sit alone in your pain. Find what helps to keep your mind and spirit lifted.

PRAYER: Lord, we trust Your plans are good. Thank You for staying close during our times of waiting. Please provide peace to those who are struggling through a hard season. Help them know You are near and feel Your presence. Help us shift our impatience to waiting expectantly.

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