Weekly Devotional: Expecting God

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

During Grand Canyon University’s second Chapel of the semester, Campus Pastor Tim Griffin stood up in front of a packed crowd and said we need to frame our expectations and what they’re going to look like for this year.

Sometimes our expectations put God in a box. It limits Him. I find when I put a lid on what I think God can do in my life, He always blows the lid off of that box and exceeds any possible expectation of what He has in store for me.

So what can we expect from God?

When we turn to scriptures, we find promises of who God is and what characteristics He loves us with. We can break it down in two ways:

1. God is faithful. (Lamentations 3:22-23, Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:8)
2. God forgives. (Isaiah 1:18, 1 John 1:9, Colossians 1:13-14, Psalm 103:12)

How are you expecting God to move this semester? Are you expecting awaited opportunities? Are you expecting to meet “the one”? Are you expecting a fresh start?

When we await what God has in store, and we draw near and close to what He has planned, we are able to understand His character a bit more. We are able to rest in the promises of His faithfulness and His forgiveness.

We can get consumed and overwhelmed with everything going on in this season of life, but knowing of His faithfulness reassures us that He will never leave.

We mess up. Sometimes, we really make a huge mistake and we feel unloved and unforgiven.

But knowing that God will always forgive us when we turn to Him and set our path straight, we are able to rejoice in the freedom of grace.

The faithfulness and forgiveness of our God makes for a beautiful relationship in where He wants to be close to us.

He wants us to know Him.

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