Deep Expectations
To be honest, I struggle with the whole concept of having expectations. Especially when I have been waiting for way too long for something I really want to happen. Sometimes I even struggle wondering if having expectations might not be such a good thing. There is a certain presumption that can go along with expectations. “God, I think You should do this. That isn’t the way things are supposed to go! When are You going to bless me with what I think is best?”
But not having any expectations at all is hopeless. And without hope, it’s hard to stay anchored to what is important. Surely we can and should expect certain things from God! But what if there is more to expecting than just hoping something specific will happen?
We are told to have “faith that moves mountains’ (Mark 11:23). I struggle a bit with that. I have faith, (a lot of it!), but the mountains remain. I can’t even seem to be able to hold all of my broken pieces together, much less move a mountain! Mountains are huge! They don’t move easily! But nothing is too difficult for God! (Jeremiah 32:27). He can do so much more than I could ever hope or imagine! (Ephesians 3:20). This is key: our hope, all of our expectations, must be rooted in the character and promises of God. It’s not what I can do, but what He can do! It’s not what I desire to happen, but trusting God to be who He says He is and to do what He says He will do!
Lord, help us to put our expectations fully on You and to let go of our presumptions of what we think You should do. May we come before You with empty hands, for we know our expectations are skewed by our limited perspectives. We hold out empty hands, knowing that You are the Master of taking impossible situations and broken dreams, and replacing them with so much more than what we could ever dream of happening! You are our expectation! In You we place our trust and hope. We put our faith in You. May our expectations not be in the righting of all our upside down circumstances, but in You!
There is great hope and deep joy indescribable when we see God’s work in our lives. He is faithful and good–all the time, no matter what! And as we come before Him with empty hands held out, clinging to His character and promises, as we put our hope in Him, not in what we think He should do, then I think we will be blown away by how He shapes and fills our deepest expectations.
