Wet Wood...

I enjoy listening to the Sunday Morning Inspiration program on the enLighten Southern Gospel channel on Sirius Radio.  They mainly play the old hymns, some with very traditional renditions, as well as others with modern translations, albeit Southern Gospel style.  These hymns bring me back to a simpler time when Piper and I were just starting out along the marriage road.  The Baptist church we attended had a very good music program with an excellent adult choir, some marvelous soloists, a few small groups of singers and one or two who sang duets, of which included Piper and I. 

Today as I look through our copy of what was then, the new church Hymnal that was presented as a gift to us by Piper’s parents in 1977, I have to smile at all the various hymns where Piper transposed the music into a different key and then wrote out the chords so that I could accompany her on my twelve string guitar, while we sang a special on Sunday mornings or on other occasions.  Ah… those were wonderful times that helped me to develop a love and a special place in my heart for those hymns.

When we left that traditional church and began attending fellowships with the Charismatic/Pentecostal  style of worship where the old hymns were set aside for the contemporary verses & modern tunes, Piper and I would occasionally rework some of the hymns into more of an upbeat tempo and sneak them into our song list when we led the music!

This morning as I was listening to the satellite radio playing a live recording of a very powerful hymn of praise, my attention was caught when the music ended and a member of the band laughed and stated:  “Well, if your fire’s not lit after that song… then your wood must be wet!”

That saying immediately got me to thinking about our EXPECTATIONS when we come to the Lord in prayer with a request.  When we put that need before Him… is our wood wet or dry?  Do we really have the expectation that the wood will burn or just smoke a lot?  Are we confident that He will answer our request… or are we just “A hoping and a praying?” (a comment I’ve heard many people say after praying and I ask what they are believing for…)

In Psalm 27:4 the Psalmist writes, “Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.” (The Passion Translation)

As I read that verse in the pre-dawn hour, after taking the dog out for a quick business walk, I began to wonder “What fills me with awe?”  Is it HIS unlimited abilities “to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think…”  “far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams?” (Ephesians 3:20 The New King James Bible / The Message) or… is it with the frustrations due to my own limitations and abilities? 

The Passion Translation says that God “will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination” and I thought as I plopped my head back down on my pillow, “Just what am I EXPECTING from GOD?  How GREAT are my REQUESTS?  How UNBELIEVABLE are my DREAMS?  And how WILD are my IMAGINATIONS?”  When I got up for the day a few hours later, I looked up the difference between hope and expectation. 

From what I could determine… in the world’s way of thinking, hope is better than expectation.  I read that “HOPE is a positive feeling which originates from within. It is related to one’s desire that something should happen. EXPECTATION is also a similar desire but unlike hope, most of the expectations depend on others in order to get fulfilled.” Their conclusion is that “Hopes are considered to be healthier than expectations; (for) failed hopes are not as dangerous as failed expectation.”*

That definition kind of made me do a head turn and utter a dumfounded “HUH?”  From my Biblical word studies, this totally defies what the writers of the Bible meant in their usage of the word HOPE… which I’ve said many times… is better translated EXPECTATION.  “In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.”**

So, if we go back to my original question of what are you expecting when you pray… you can see that what I am really asking of you and me is, “Do I really trust God and His Word to be true and/or to work in my behalf?  Do I, like the above Biblical definition of EXPECTATION declares, have a trusting and confident expectation that God will come through for me?”  Do I trust HIM enough to trust what HIS written Word says?  Or, is my prayer a simple HOPE, based on nothing but my own desires… and NOT on God being true to HIS Word?

When I go to light that campfire… Am I sure that my wood is dry and will catch fire… or am I just hoping that it is and will not result in a smoky mess? 

Successful prayer is a lot like having a roaring campfire.  It takes a little bit of homework.  When I went camping, I always brought some well-seasoned wood that I knew would start all the cooking fires while we were on the trip.  My kids can attest to the fact of having wood under their feet in the car, that was stored under the floormats while traveling to our camping adventures. 

Likewise… Before I come to my Father God with a request, I always make sure that I have built up my faith in His Word (See; Romans 10:17) so that I can have an earnest EXPECTATION of gaining the results that He has promised in His Word.

Tell me… What do you think about that?  Have a terrific new week!  I am planning on getting out a little more this week as Oklahoma has been slowly opening up things again!  Stay safe out there and ask yourself… “What am I EXPECTING when I pray today?”



*(http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-hope-and-expectation


**(https://bible.org/article/hope)