Wait Expectantly

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.

-Psalm 5:3

 

When I read this verse a couple of days ago, one question immediately came to mind. And has stayed with me since.

 

What does it mean to wait expectantly?

 

I mean that doesn't sound like what I normally think of when I think of waiting for something. Waiting is usually thought of as something passive. Something that requires nothing of us. We just sit there and do nothing until we get the answer we're waiting for.

 

But that doesn't seem to be the kind of waiting the psalmist is speaking of here. Waiting expectantly for something says more than we're just sitting around doing nothing.

 

Waiting expectantly speaks of being ready. We have to be ready to act on whatever the answer is when it comes. To be ready to do this, we have to be doing something.

 

The psalmist here was saying the he was waiting expectantly for God's answer to his prayers. The psalmist laid his requests before God, and then he waited for God to answer. But this answer was something he was ready for. When the answer came, the psalmist was ready.

 

So, what does it look like to wait expectantly in our lives?

 

It looks like taking our requests and our questions before God. And then waiting for His answer. But not waiting by just sitting there. Waiting that looks like doing what we already know to do as we listen for God's voice.

 

It's not about running ahead trying to make what we want happen. That defeats the waiting part of it.

 

But it's not about sitting around and doing nothing either. That defeats the expectant part of it.

 

Waiting expectantly is doing what we already know God has told us to do - even if that's just following Him in everyday life - while we listen for God to provide an answer to our request that brought before Him.

 

I don't always do this waiting expectantly thing well. But, it's something I want to learn to do better.

 

How are you doing at waiting expectantly?

 

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.

-Psalm 5:3