In the days leading up to this past Christmas (2020), my ten-year-old grandson, William, was lamenting to me that he wouldn't be able to shop at his school's Secret Santa Shop, as he did in previous years, because of Coronavirus restrictions. I tried to assure him that he needn't worry because his loved ones, including me, would understand if he couldn't give us gifts this year. When Christmas Day arrived, William handed me a small box that had been carefully wrapped. When I opened it, I discovered that it contained a small piece of paper on which he had written one single word - "Hope." As I looked at him with a bit of confusion, he explained that in his Sunday school class, they learned about giving gifts from God to their loved ones this year, instead of the usual store-bought ones. I thanked my grandson, but I didn't realize until later how valuable and precious his gift was to me.

A few days later, during my quiet time with the Lord, I was reading my old, worn copy of the Living Bible. When the Holy Spirit led me to Psalm 42, four words in verse 11 leaped off the page and into my heart - "Expect God to act!" That's when I realized that over the course of this past year - a year filled with a global pandemic, hardship, isolation, and disappointment - I had lost a measure of hope, and I had stopped expecting God to act in some areas that I had been praying about for years. Oh, I still prayed about these things, but it was as though the wind had been knocked out of my sails. So the Lord has me writing this message today to encourage myself and you.

Psalm 130:5 (TLB) says, "I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for He has promised." When we base our prayers on God's promises, He wants us to believe that our expectations will eventually be met - IF we don't quit hoping and praying before our answers come. Psalm 71:14 (TLB) says, "I will keep expecting You to help me. I praise You more and more!" One way to prove that we are expecting God to act on our behalf is to begin thanking and praising Him in advance for the answer.

Scripture says, "In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5:3 NIV) Are you laying your requests before the Lord each day, and waiting in expectation for His answers? If so, then you can bank on His precious promise today - "The Lord is good to those who hopefully and expectantly wait for Him"! (Lamentations 3:25 AMP)

Prayer: Lord, I ask You to fill me with a fresh sense of hope today, especially in those areas where I need it most. Help me to lay my requests before You each day, and to wait with expectation for Your answers. Teach me how to base my prayers on Your promises, and to praise You in advance for Your intervention. Thank You that as I keep my hope and expectation in You and Your faithfulness, I will experience Your goodness in greater ways than ever before!