Hebrews 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Expectations... we all have them and they often fuel our lives. We have also felt the sting of unfulfilled expectations or the pain of being held to unrealistic expectations.
Expectations are a powerful emotional and spiritual force, representing a strong desire, belief, and anticipation that something will happen regardless of the surrounding situation. Expectations can be born from past experiences or a wish to create a different future. When a woman is pregnant, she is said to be expecting, representing her eager anticipation and joy of holding her newborn baby. As Christ-followers, our expectations can free God to do extraordinary things in our lives or limit our view of God and what he can do.
The woman with the issue of blood expected that if she fought through the crowd to touch the fringe of Jesus’ clothing, she would be healed (Luke 8:43-44). The crippled beggar at the Temple gate, who looked at Peter and John “expecting to receive,” obtained his healing (Acts 3:5). Blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus with the expectation that he would be healed (Mark 10:50-51). The centurion’s servant was healed because of the soldier’s expectation; the lame man lowered through the roof by his friends received healing because of their expectations.
But expectations alone are not enough. If you don’t have the faith to believe that God is your healer, it’s doubtful you’ll expect to be healed. In each of these cases, their expectation was built upon faith that God’s goodness and faithfulness would result in their healing, creating good soil for God to work and fruitfulness to flourish. Man may fail us, but not God: Psalms 22:5 NLT “They trusted in you and were never disappointed.” God invites us to put our expectations on Him; He is the only One who can meet all our expectations and go beyond them. Until the outcome we receive is better than anything we’ve seen, heard, or imagined, we are still limiting God to our perspective.
However, expectations not grounded in faith can hinder us from seeing God. The Pharisees could not recognize Jesus as the Messiah because they could not get past their traditional expectations of the promised Messiah. When Naaman went to Elisha to be healed of leprosy, he expected God to perform a miracle in some dramatic and religious way. But when he was simply told to wash in the Jordan, he became furious (2 Kings 5:1-14). God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times to win the battle. Jesus put mud on a man’s eyes to be healed. He told Peter to catch a fish to pay his taxes. Sometimes God chooses the dramatic, and sometimes He chooses the ordinary. In either case, both are miracles. How often do we miss God because what we are seeing or experiencing is outside our expectations?
Read Hebrews 11:6 again. The writer says, “We must believe that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” God demands your expectations. God alone will choose how he rewards, but we can be assured it will always reflect his love, goodness, and faithfulness. That is the intersection of faith and expectation. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than all that we ask or think, because of His power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
So, what are you expecting from God? Ground your expectations in faith and you will see God move.
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Gary and Sandy Anthony
Habakkuk 1:5 NIV Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
Psalms 5:3 NLT Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
Isaiah 64:4 NIV Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him.
Jeremiah 32:27 NIV I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Romans 8:28 NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Psalms 31:19 TPT Lord, how wonderful you are! You have stored up so many good things for us, like a treasure chest heaped up and spilling over with blessings— all for those who honor and worship you! Everybody knows what you can do for those who turn and hide themselves in you.
2 Peter 1:3 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
Jude 1:24-25 NIV To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
1 Peter 2:19-20 NLT For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Hebrews 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Luke 3:15 TPT During those days, everyone was gripped with messianic expectations, believing the Messiah could come at any moment, and many began to wonder if John might be the Christ.
Proverbs 23:18 AMP Surely there is a future and a reward, And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.
Psalms 22:5 NLT They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disappointed.
Romans 10:11 TPT For the Scriptures encourage us with these words: Everyone who believes in him will never be disappointed.
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