Skip to main content

Great Expectations

           Over the last few weeks, the world got its first close-up look at Pluto.  The pictures were incredible, but what really amazed me was the planning that went into making this happen.
            Planning for the “New Horizons” project began in August of 1989.  After several failed attempts to obtain funding, construction started in 2003.  In order for the spacecraft to make the 7.5 billion Km journey to Pluto, it had to be launched within a twenty-three day window in January 2006.  That timing was critical because it was the only time that Jupiter would be in the right place to allow its gravity to help slingshot the craft to the outer parts of the solar system. 
            When you are talking about space travel, nothing “just happens”.  Everything is the result of looking several years into the future.  The pictures that we saw were the result of twenty-six years of planning and anticipation.
            Anticipation is a powerful factor in any large undertaking, so it is not shocking that anticipation also plays a large role in spiritual growth.  Nothing “just happens” spiritually.  Every good thing comes from living with a long term view and looking for the blessings of God.  Without “anticipation” and “expectation”, our faith loses momentum.
            It was anticipation that made Abraham leave his home to seek the land that God was going to give him (Genesis 12).  Anticipation made the people follow Moses out of Egypt (Exodus 12).  At both the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and the Jordan River (Joshua 3), the Israelites waited in anticipation for God to act.  The anticipation of a Saviour formed the core of the message of the Old Testament prophets.  Jesus told his followers to live in anticipation of their future home (John 14).  On the other hand, James tells his readers that they were missing out on God’s blessings simply because they were not expecting anything to happen and therefore they neglected to ask (James 4:2).  The book of Revelation is all about looking to the future and what God will do.
            Anticipation fuels our faith because it reminds us that God is still at work and that he is doing something even when we cannot see it right now. 
            Keep looking to the future with expectation.  That is how you discover new worlds.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more