Come to the Lord’s House With Expectation

Do we always come to church expecting God’s presence and the moving of the Holy Spirit?  If so, what happens when you cannot sense His Presence?  Do you leave or unplug?  Or do you lift your voice and hands in praise? Obedience is better sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22)

Psalm 100 says:

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Come expecting, but stay regardless.  When we get a touch from God, which manifests itself in shaking, crying, or laughing, we feel energized and on a Holy Ghost High.  But don’t be hooked on a feeling.  Expectation is an action word.  We are coming believing something will happen.  Being faithful relies not only on what we do when the expected happens, but also on what we do when it doesn’t.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus called out to God the Father to release Him from the coming journey of pain, but submitted to the Father’s will.  Did He expect His Father to release Him?  I don’t think so, but if that is true, why ask at all?  Perhaps He was expecting a chance to bypass the subsequent trial and crucifixion, but how could He?  He knew He had to die and submitted.

If I go to church expecting that God might heal me and He doesn’t I keep going because the Word says to persevere.  I’m not jumping ship; I’m in for the long haul.  Where else can I go?  We can go to the football game or the beach instead of church on Sunday, but we shouldn’t expect to be saved from the coming judgment.

In John chapter six Jesus told His many followers (there were dozens of disciples other than the 12 apostles) to “eat His flesh and drink His blood,” which caused confusion. Many stopped following Him and walked away.

“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’ ” (John 6:66-69)

Sometimes it is hard to understand what God wants us to do or why some Bible lessons are obscure, but we keep following no matter what because He alone has the words of eternal life.

How do you feel about your walk with God right now? Are you on a spiritual high, or are you focused on commitment?