"My expectation is from Him."—Psalm 62:5.
It is the believer's privilege to use this language. If he is looking for aught from the world, it is a poor "expectation" indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his wants, whether in temporal or spiritual blessings, his expectation" will not be a vain one. Constantly he may draw from the bank of faith, and get his need supplied out of the riches of God's lovingkindness. This I know, I had rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds. My Lord never fails to honour His promises; and when we bring them to His throne, He never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at His door, for He ever opens it with the hand of munificent grace. At this hour I will try Him anew. But we have "expectations" beyond this life. We shall die soon; and then our "expectation is from Him." Do we not expect that when we lie upon the bed of sickness He will send angels to carry us to His bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint, and the heart heaves heavily, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us, and whisper, "Sister spirit, come away!" As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be amongst the multitude of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord—for "We shall see Him as He is." Then if these be thine "expectations," O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify Him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and calling, it is that thou hast any "expectation" of coming glory. - Spurgeon's Morning and Evening
Sometimes, in life we get so bogged down with the cares of this world. At work, we might find ourselves acting like the lost world. The printers go out, the vending machine breaks, the computer keeps shutting down, people around you are miserable... and you find yourself being miserable right along with them. You’re in a funk and you don't know why. Our Expectation needs to be from the LORD. He has given us so much! We can have his Joy.
A few years ago, I went to a seminar called "How to communicate with tough people." Basically the class was a pep talk where the speaker's job was to pump us up so we can go out and face all those "horrible" people out there. He taught us to “Fake It Till We Make It.” At one point in the talk he said something that opened my eyes. He said, “When things get really bad and you think you can’t fake it, then I want you to think of the happiest moment in your life. Whether it is when you got married or held your baby in your arms… I want you to hold on to that memory. And when things are tough, just bring that memory back to mind. And that will help you get through the tough situations of life.” While I was listening to him say this, I heard a still small voice saying “Jen, I am your strength. Don’t you see, these people don’t have that, they can’t cling to me like you can.” Then my heart broke for those people sitting there. The speaker that was still talking about how you need to look in the mirror and tell yourself you can do it. He went on saying that no one else is going to pull you up by your boot straps only you can do that. “The joy of the Lord is my strength,” echoed in my heart. That course was an eye opener, oh not because the speaker said anything helpful, but rather it showed me just how much I take for granted. As Christians, we have this awesome power from the Lord. Why don’t I realize that I have all God’s resources at my fingertips! Oh, Dear Christian Friend, our expectation is from the LORD. Expect the Lord to keep His promises. And as Charles Spurgeon wisely said: “O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify Him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and calling, it is that thou hast any "expectation" of coming glory.”