My younger sister Alesha and her husband Joseph, who are expecting their first child, are having a gender reveal party tonight at their house. The idea is to gather all their family and friends together to learn the sex of the new baby all at once.
Isn’t that a nice idea?
When the two had their ultrasound done earlier this week, they had the doctor write the sex of the baby on a slip of paper. Only my older sister, Shavette, the party planner, actually knows whether the bun in the oven is a boy or girl.
I tried to get her to spill the beans Daily Cup family, but she wasn’t squealing. So I’ll just have to wait until the party later tonight to find out for sure.
All this excitement has me thinking about my pregnancy days. Kenya and I were always so eager to know what was bumping around in my rapidly expanding womb. And even when we tried to convince ourselves that we could wait until delivery to learn the sex of the new Hobbs addition, our curiosity won out each and every time.
We knew the sex of all four of our sweet children before they made their screaming entrances into the world.
Even still, although we knew the answer to the “boy or girl” question beforehand, nothing could prepare us for the joy of cradling that tiny little person in our arms. Everything we had imagined about the blessing and delight of our day of delivery was 1000 times more wonderful!
The same is true of what you are carrying around in your spiritual womb.
You may have some idea of what God has in store, or you may not know at all, but you can be assured that it’s so much better than anything you could envision for yourself. God, the giver of every good and perfect gift, wants you to expect great things, so He can do even greater things!
To help you get your expectation up, I’m stirring a beloved scripture, Ephesians 3:20 NIV, into your cup of inspiration today. It says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Immeasurably more… I like the sound of that, don’t you?
When you drink down the contents of your cup today, you’ll be reminded that anything you can cook up in your mind and fathom in your limited understanding, pales in comparison to what God has in store for you.
I’m sure you’ve been waiting on some things to happen for you. We all have something we’re waiting for and we all know the suspense can be maddening.
But it will be well worth the wait when God reveals His plans. It will be more than you were expecting.
One of my favorite scriptures found in Jeremiah 29:11 is a fitting way to end this post. It reads, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
You might not be able to set the date for the big reveal like my sister and her husband—God will manifest everything in His own time—but you can still rejoice in advance. I admonish you to praise Him at this very hour for your “shall be,” and know that the best is yet to come!
Now let’s pray.
God, not knowing and waiting for manifestation of Your plan can be so hard. I know You’re teaching me patience and endurance, God, but everything in me is crying out for that big reveal. But today, I’m making a decision to stop concentrating on when You’ll show me everything I’ve been waiting to see, and begin praising You in advance for what’s already done. Right now, I make a choice to rejoice in knowing that what You have for me is far better than anything I could imagine! I receive it at this very moment by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!