The Happy Anticipation of Good

Hebrews 11:1--KJV--Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I want to zero in on one word for this blog. That word is 'hope'.

A lot of times we use the word 'hope' when we want to say I sure wish this or that would happen. Or, maybe it will. Or, it sure would be good of this would really, really happen.

Webster's Dictionary gives this definition--to desire with the expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. Another definition is--the happy anticipation of good. I like the last one better. It's shorter and makes more sense for simple folks like me.

What it is NOT is the old nursery rhyme. Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might that I might have my wish tonight.

So let's correct our thinking to let it line up with what the Word of God is really saying here. Let's see how Hebrews 11:1 sounds with one of those definitions in it. "Faith is the substance of those things that I have a happy anticipation of good for." The word 'might' is not in there. The words 'I wish' are not in there. The idea is that faith in God's Promises brings about an excitement for a prayer that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt will be answered. We don't know when. We just know that is will be.

Yes, we do receive answers by faith and not by feelings. However, real faith will produce happy thoughts and relaxed and happy feelings down inside of us. Faith never allows our hearts to be troubled. (John 14:1) It stirs our heart to be happy.

For example, we go to buy a car. We don't know which one we'll get right at the moment but we are definitely going to get one. This is where we begin to 'hope.'

Here's our thought process. We start thinking about how great it will be not to hear that horrid rattling sound every time we hit a bump. We think of how great it will be to be able to roll up the windows without having to pull it half way back up. We think of the prestige we'll have of driving a single colored car.

What was your thought process before you went out on that first date? How about when you decided to pop the question? How about planning for the wedding? What about the anticipation of that first child?

Your thoughts about these things--that are yet to come to pass--were always good and they were happy thoughts. They were the happy anticipation of the good and not the sad anticipation of the bad.

When we pray, we ought to have the same thought pattern in mind. Did God promise us? Does He ever back down on His Word? Does He love to give His children good gifts? Did Jesus say that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly? All the answers to these questions are, 'yes'.

We have every reason in the world to walk around with the happy anticipation of our prayers being answered. Instead, we almost have this kind of hit and miss attitude toward prayer. Maybe He will and maybe He won't.

Picture yourself in the middle of that answered prayer. Why not? That's what you do when you say that you're going to Heaven. With joy and gladness you talk about seeing Jesus and all your relatives. You talk about the streets of gold, walls of jasper and gates of pearl. You talk about the thousands of years of joy you're going to have.

How about the rapture? You don't know how we're going to lift up off of this earth, but you get happy about it. You don't know where we'll float off to, but you sing and shout about it.

Same God. Same promises. If you can get happy about one of His promises, why can't you get happy and anticipate all of the other promises? When you first got saved, you re-trained your thinking to include going to Heaven and going in the rapture.

The Apostle Paul said that we are transformed by changing the way we think. We've used that process over and over all throughout our lives to change our circumstances. You never dated someone until you had some happy thoughts about it for a while. You never married someone until you had some happy thoughts about it for a while. You never bought a car until you had some happy thoughts about it for a while. All of the good things that you started doing, you started doing them because you had a bunch of happy thoughts about it for a while. Then you couldn't pull yourself away from the decision.

I have to challenge myself about my faith life. When I catch myself getting the mully-grubs I start reminding myself of several things. I remind myself of what God's Word says about a certain thing. I remind myself that God's Word is God's will for me. I remind myself that I've already prayed and I believe that I receive what I have asked for in His Name. Then I start picturing myself as already having what God said I could have.

Last scripture for this blog. Mark 11:24--KJV--Therefore, I say unto you, Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. You have Jesus' description of answered prayer. Believe that you have received it already. Get the happy anticipation of good about it. In the last phrase, Jesus says that you SHALL (future tense) have them.