The Expectancy of Change: Why it's Worth the Wait

Hello everyone, I hope your weekend was great. During Sunday service, God led me to share a scripture on change from Romans 8, later on I was simply awed when he yet again revealed a deeper understanding of this season and the birth of Christ. 

We are currently in a season of expectancy. For some of us, we have been struggling day to day to keep a smile on our face, make ends meet or just find joy in this thing called life. For others God has promised us something great, something new, a breakthrough, relief, a blessing or miracle. However, with all of this prophesy and expectation consuming our hearts, it makes us anxious, weary and tired of waiting. 

It's hard isn't it? To know that change is coming, believe in great change and expect God to bring forth change but having to be patient and wait for it? Well around the birth of Christ, God's people dealt with the same issue, let's take a look.

While we are in this season majority of the time we celebrate the birth of Christ and how he was born, and how his birth was celebrated. Almost a post birth celebration. However, many times we leave out the months of labor and expectancy period of something new. God is so good he revealed to me a deeper meaning in the importance and blessing of Christmas. Through the birth of Christ, it was more than just our Savior being born, it was a time of fulfillment of promises God had made to his people.

If you ever read the pre-birth story of Christ, you will see that the people of God and people of Rome & its surroundings suffered. They were oppressed financially, spiritually, physically and mentally. Previous prophets had foretold of a great redeemer who would come and free them from every kind of bondage, and while they believed in God's word their faith and patience grew weary. Just like us, they too became anxious in expectancy of change. 

See, some people wanted to take matters into their own hands and overturn the government, some people simply doubted God and some allowed their faith to wither, while a handful of people stood strong in God's promises. Not to make the others look bad, but it's important to see that we are not the first ones to get weak or doubtful in our walks with God. 

However, when the birth of Christ came along the people rejoiced not just because of who he was but what his birth represented. Jesus's birth symbolized a crucial change needed in the lives of many. His birth was a breakthrough, a fulfillment of promises and marked the end of a season of struggle. 

While it may have been hard for the people to wait years even generations for Christ to arrive, the fulfillment of that expectancy was greater than any previous blessing God had bestowed upon them. God is requiring that same patience, endurance and faith in us RIGHT NOW! While we may be struggling to wait and to stay encouraged or uplifted about our situations and God's promises, he never goes back on his word. Just like Christ symbolized that change that was foretold, we need to be steadily expectant in this season where God fulfilled his promise of change years and years ago.

This is more than celebrating a day, this is encouragement for our present day situations. We are just like the people during the time of Christ's birth, simply expecting a change. So I challenge you today, instead of sinking into your weariness, doubtfulness, sadness or impatient tendencies, take this season to strengthen your faith, shift your atmosphere and spirit to one of expectancy. If you truly believe that God is going come through as he said he would then prepare yourself for the labor stage. 

We are in a season of expectancy so lets hold ourselves to our faith as we wait and watch God work. While waiting is a hard thing to do at times, it's always worth the wait when we allow God to handle those situations and promises. Nothing that we do can top what God can do. 

So let's begin to celebrate expectancy and the wait we are enduring, for at the end of every waiting period comes something new, and God is certainly a God of newness and change. Celebrate Christ for symbolizing change and promise, but also celebrate the wait and how the expectancy period builds us up in preparation for the change. 

Below is the scripture I shared this morning and also a song suited for the season that was shared with me. Be Blessed and Happy Holidays!

Romans 8:18-25

The Message (MSG)

 ^18-21That'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.

 ^22-25All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.