Our Earnest Expectation

Through providence, God’s Son we met,

With lives that were hopelessly beset,

Consumed with painful regret.

Condemnation, our earnest expectation!

Then in faith, Jesus we confessed,

 The guilt that had us so depressed,

Trusting God, who only could redress.

Mercy, our earnest expectation!

With that, freely our souls we gave,

Submitting to Jesus; to be remade,

Released from the bondage of the grave.

Grace, our earnest expectation!

All through our ups and downs,

We rely on the Rock, the solid ground,

In Jesus, we are always securely found.

Love, our earnest expectation!

Now it is ours only to pray,

For that soon coming glorious day,

When Jesus returns, His glory on display.

Hope, our earnest expectation!

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As a former pastor, I have experienced and witnessed joys and sorrows in my life and in the lives of many who were under my care. I do not remember ever being asked to comfort during the joys of blessings, but on numerous occasions, I was asked to comfort during the sorrows of trials and tribulations. The idea that there is an absence of challenges in the life of a  Christian is not a biblically based truth. What is true is the biblical attitude to adopt when facing tough times. The prudent approach is to rely on Jesus, who can sustain your Earnest Expectation of security no matter the circumstances.

The motivation for this poem was drawn from Paul’s attitude during his turbulent times as an Apostle of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:20 NKJV). From the text, Paul uses the phrase Ernest Expectation, which I have titled this poem. It means that Paul will not be distracted from his expectation but will remain immersed in it, grounded in his faith in Christ. He eagerly or fully expected never to be ashamed because of his boldness for Christ; whether life or death, he would bring honor to Christ. Having joined mind with Paul, I was led to meditate appreciatively on our lives in Christ, which would more than justify our Ernest Expectation. So, in this poem, I was inspired to write, in a poetic fashion, about the blessings we have through Christ, from condemnation to glorification. We watch and wait with outstretched hearts that Jesus, who embraced us, forgave us, saved us, remade us, will one day, on His return, display us for the glory due unto Him.

Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was waiting for the attending physicians to share with my wife and me their proposed plan for medical treatments. While waiting, I became ill, and my wife ordered me to the emergency room, where I was told that I also had pneumonia. Just as a side note, God used my wife to save my life. Anyway, who contracts pneumonia at the same time as being diagnosed with cancer? Who does that? However, surprisingly, a level of spiritual maturity began to emerge in my life because what I did not contract was fear. Why? Somewhere along this journey, God blessed me with an attitude of Earnest Expectation. No matter how tough it gets down here, I remembered: our Earnest Expectation is that we will never be ashamed; we can always be bold, and whether in life or in death, Jesus Christ gets the honor from our lives.

May God’s will be done in your life.