Spiritual EXPECTATION!

Spiritual Expectation

“…My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my EXPECTATION is from him.….”

Psalm 62:5

 Are you and I in complete EXPECTATION of God? Do we really have the kind of “expectancy” that many of us say we do? This seems like a simple question, with a simple answer for most Christian trying to be honest. Perhaps if we truly understood the correct application of Spiritual Expectation, we would be forced to look at this again for a more conclusive personal assessment.

Before we look at our companion text for this lesson, I’d like to attempt to stimulate your thought further with a few more verses. Proverbs 10:28 says, “…the hope of the righteous shall be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked shall perish….” Proverbs 11:7 says, “…when a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish, and the hope of unjust men perishes….” He [the Proverb writer: Solomon] further says in verse 24:14, “…so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when you have found it, then there will be a reward, and your expectation shall not be cut off….”

These verses beg the question: What is it about having “expectation” that has such great importance to human living? These verses seem to suggest that (both) a “Just” and an “Unjust” person carries a very personal “expectation” of life with them throughout life. The wicked has an expectation, and the Righteous has an expectation. Another ringing question seems simple: who will or will not experience what they are expecting and why?

Expectation comes from the Hebrew word “Tiqvah” (tik-vaw) derived from its root, “Qavah” (kaw-vaw) which is to have an eager hope that causes a binding together. It also means to linger for as in resting and seeking for as in collecting. Both words are VERY passive and feminine, which means that is carries heavy emotional factors. The root word “Qavah” is aggressive, which means that is carries heavy active factors. In other words, there is an emotional impact that “expectancy” has that cause action and movement. It also connects us to what we are in expectation of due to this impact.

Look at what the Psalmist said, “…my SOUL wait thou only upon God….” The human “soul” is (among other things) our self-consciousness. This is how we relate to ourselves. It is essentially our EMOTIONS, THOUGHTS, and FEELINGS. Therefore, the Psalmist was really saying, (paraphrase) “…my EMOTIONS wait only on God….” The Psalmist is essentially saying that he will NOT allow anything or anyone to dictate to his EMOTIONS but God! What an awesome statement!

So then, if we are connected to what we are expecting – being bound together with it, then we can understand why the wicked man perishes with his expectation. It is because he is connected to wrath, and seeks only destruction – being collective of only that and those who do wickedness, whereas the Righteous is connected to God, and doesn’t allow his EMOTIONS to send him away from God’s instructions. Remember again Proverbs 24:14, “…so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when you have found it, then there will be a reward, and your expectation shall not be cut off….”

So then, well did the Psalmist exclaim, “…my soul wait thou ONLY upon God, for my expectation is from Him….”

Grace & Peace,

Roc