It Takes Two!

“Oh, what a beautiful mornin'

 Oh, what a beautiful day

 I've got a beautiful feelin'

 Everything's goin' my way” *



I can’t think of any better words to describe how I felt this morning when Fiver and I walked along the pathway that meanders through our neighborhood close to the city golf course next door, than the famous words of the opening song of the musical “Oklahoma” written by Richard Roberts and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II in 1943.  I mean let’s face it… 45 degrees, bright blue sunny skies, very little wind, golfer’s laughing and talking as they play the game they love and dogs barking excitedly as the two of us walked past their yards… it was Great!

As we turned from the pond to return to our home, I suddenly started thinking about the TWO SIDES OF EXPECTATION… and it kind of stumped me for a moment.  I’d never really thought about it that way before… 

I had a really nice conversation with one of Piper’s cousins and her husband in Nevada yesterday afternoon.  They are one of the few members of Piper’s family who regularly communicate with me and I very much cherish our discussions.  They make me feel like I am still a special part of her family.  At one point in our over two-hour session they began to ask me a few questions about “hearing God.”  They mentioned that during our conversation that I had on numerous occasions, said that "I felt God’s leading" in such and such an event and wanted some clarification.  They’re concern was in their desire to know how to differentiate their own thoughts from God’s directions.

So, we talked about it for quite awhile and I shared from both the Word and from personal examples of both Piper’s and mine through the years.  Piper’s cousin is the one in the family, that in many respects, is most like Piper in her personality and sense of adventure.  And it is very exciting and meaningful to me as she shares a lot of great and funny memories about Piper’s past… many that I had not heard before.  These memories have helped to put together parts of the puzzle when it came to times that Piper would respond in certain situations that were unlike her immediate family.

I’ve come to find out that Piper was the one that her cousin would normally call in the family when she needed some encouragement or spiritual advice.  Piper is very much alive in her heart and I love hearing her encouraging and comical perspective when it comes to my wife. 

One of the things that I mentioned to them was the whole idea of EXPECTING to hear from God when you pray and ask a request of Him.  We discussed the many ways in which His answer or assistance may come and of the importance of staying alert to the things, people and places around them from which God may speak and of the importance of letting peace be their guide.  (You may recall when Paul told his readers “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Colossians 3:15 KJV)

So, I’m sure that it was that part of the conversation and more, that caused me to think once again about EXPECTATIONS on our walk this morning.  When I paused and turned my vision back to the peacefulness of the water on the pond, I began to think about how Piper always EXPECTED and, in many ways, demanded the best from me… and as I thought about it, I realized that I did the same with her.  We had the kind of relationship where each of us tended to draw out the best in each other.  When I had a need and went to her, I KNEW that she would give me her best in the best way she could at that moment.  And in her times of need, I did the same, up to and including the last eight years of her life.

I absentmindedly found myself looking at a lady standing on the fairway with her husband and realized that I was comparing her to Piper in the way she was dressed.  Don’t get me wrong, the lady had a nice kind of loose fitting sweat suit/jogging/sports outfit on and she looked very comfortable and happy.  But I remembered with a smile, that all the jogging/sports outfits that Piper wore were always a little more form fitting.  She worked at keeping up her figure through the years and wasn’t afraid to modestly accent it with the clothes she wore.  Piper always tended to do most things with what she considered to be a level of excellence.  And it didn’t take me long to EXPECT that excellence from her in our interactions… and her with me as well.

But as we turned and walked down the berm to the grass near the playground, it dawned on me that in order for me to EXPECT her best, that I needed to be deserving of receiving that EXPECTATION.  Philippians 1:27 encourages us to: “Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ.” (God’s Word ©)  This verse is a good characterization of how we attempted to live our lives with and toward each other.  I say “attempted” because we all have our off times… me more than her I would think… but I guess you catch my drift… it was something we worked at throughout the years.  During our 48 years together, both of us demonstrated our love for each other with words and corresponding actions that built our trust in one other.  It’s something that grew and developed with lots of practice… and sometimes patience as well!

I suddenly understood as we walked back along the fence line of the golf course, that the same can be said in our relationship with God.  Hebrews 11:1 teaches us that “Faith assures us of things we EXPECT…” (God’s Word ©)  How else can you be in faith to EXPECT God’s best, if you’re not deserving of having that EXPECTATION?  And we build that trust by spending time with Him in prayer, in the Word and in fellowship with like minded believers.  It is something that takes time to patiently grow and develop between the two of you… just like the trust it took for Piper and I to EXPECT each other’s best when called upon.  That’s where the idea of the TWO SIDES OF EXPECTATION comes in!  It takes cooperation from both individuals! 

So, do I EXPECT God’s best every time I come to Him with a prayerful request?   You bet!  But I continually take the effort to grow and increase that trust between us… everyday… 24/7 – 365 days a year… or 366 in this Leap year!

What about you?  What are you EXPECTING from God when you pray?





*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_What_a_Beautiful_Mornin%27