Expectation

     "Expectation is the root of all heartache." I heard this quote from a friend recently and it really stuck with me. It is a quote that is attributed to William Shakespeare, but it is actually a paraphrase. The original quote is from his play, "All's Well That Ends Well" and it reads:

"Oft expectation fails, and most oft there

Where most it promises, and oft it hits,

Where hope is coldest, and despair most fits."

     When I first heard this quote, my immediate reaction was that I completely agreed. "Expectation is the root of all heartache." Absolutely. You expect things to turn out a certain way, and they never do. You expect people to act a certain way, and they never do. Expectations always end up letting you down and leave you feeling disappointed. I was reminded of that phrase, "What screws us up the most in life is the picture in our head of how it's supposed to be." But I quickly realized that it's not our expectations that lead to heartache, it's who we expect it from. If we put our expectation in man, yes, we will end up heartbroken and disappointed. Mankind is flawed. We are sinful people. We can strive to live up to the expectations people set for us, but we will almost always fall short. We can make promises, and we can genuinely desire to change our ways and live up to the promises we make, but we are imperfect people. We will let ourselves down, we will let those we love down, and we will let God down. When you put your trust and expectation in mankind, you will end up disappointed. BUT when we put our trust and expectation in God, and when we put our hope in the promises HE has made for us, then we will never be disappointed. God CANNOT and WILL NOT fail us. God IS love (1 John 4:8). He is the embodiment of love. He is loved defined. And 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us that Love NEVER FAILS. God will never fail us, and God can never lie to us. Jesus assures us of this in John 14:6 when He says, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life." Jesus IS truth. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not human that He should lie, not a human being that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" Hebrews 6:17-19 says, "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." When we put our hope in the promises of God, we can rest assured that God will do what He has said He will do. He cannot fail us, and it is impossible for Him to lie to us. Mankind will let us down, but God never will. God is on our side. He is fighting for us. Romans 8:28 assures us that He is working all things together for our good. Even when we can't see it, and even when we can't feel it, we can trust that God is at work behind the scenes. He is in control, and He is orchestrating everything together for good. Something beautiful is about to unfold. Put your trust in God. Believe with all your heart that He is able to do what He has said He will do and that He is faithful to fulfill all that He has promised to do.
     If anyone had reason to doubt the promises of God, it was Abraham. God promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations, with as many descendants as there were stars in the sky. But by the time Abraham was 100 years old, and his wife was way past the age to bare children, that seemed like an impossible promise. Yet, Abraham continued to hope for all those years. Against all hope, he continued to believe in hope. Romans 4:20-21 says, "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised." 

Why do do we doubt the power of God? Why do we doubt God's ability to do what He has promised?

Why do we choose to put our trust in man, rather than in the God who created man in His image?

In the storms of life, why do we fear the waters rather than the God who controls the storm and sea?

Jeremiah 5:22-25 (NLT) says, 

"Have you no respect for me? Why don't you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean's sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, 'Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for He gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.' Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things."

     So many times, our lack of faith (our unbelief) keeps us from experiencing the full extent of blessings God wants to pour out over our lives. It goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Why did Eve fall into sin? She was tempted of Satan because she believed his lies over the TRUTH of God. She was led astray because she did not BELIEVE that what God had said was true. When Jesus walked this earth, how many times  did He assure those He healed that it was their FAITH that had made them well? In Matthew 9 the woman with the issue of blood presses her way through the crowd. She does not say a word. She asks nothing of Jesus. She simply BELIEVES that He is who He says He is. She simply BELIEVES that He is able to do what she has SEEN and HEARD He is able to do. And she simply reaches out in FAITH. Luke's account of this story says that Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." In Mark 10 Jesus passes by a blind man. The man can't see. but he can HEAR that Jesus is near! We can't always see what God is doing in our lives, but if we listen closely we can hear Him! We can hear the evidence that He is living, and active, and at work around us. We just have to call out to Him, and He will answer. The blind man called out for Jesus in a desperate act of faith. He asked for nothing more than mercy, but God recognized His faith and granted him the desire of his heart. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus says. And the blind man replies, "I want to see." In verse 52 Jesus says, "Go, your faith has healed you." The man immediately receives his sight, and rather than return to his seat as a beggar, He follows Jesus along the road. When we come to God in faith, we will leave with overwhelming joy and peace. We will be able to follow God with more fervor and zeal than ever before. We will have a greater passion and desire to serve Him, and we will overflow with thanksgiving. Our lives will shine with the light of Christ, and others will be drawn to Him because of what they have seen and heard Him do in our lives. Put your hope and expectation in God. Trust in Him. Walk in faith, and see what He is able to do.

Matthew 13:15-17 says,

"For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them. But BLESSED are your eyes because they SEE, and your ears because they HEAR. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

      We stand in a unique place of honor with God. We are a blessed generation because we have seen and heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Messiah has come. He lived and walked on this earth. He died and was brought back to life. He is now seated on the right hand of God, and His Holy Spirit lives in and among us. Because we have experienced this, we have no reason to doubt the promises of God. Imagine where Eve stood. She was the first woman to ever walk this earth. It is true that she doubted the truth of God's spoken word, but she had no way of looking back and seeing His past faithfulness, and she had no way of looking forward and seeing the consequences of her actions. Imagine where Abraham stood. He could see only stars, a sign of the promise. He couldn't see the faces of the 12 tribes of Israel. He didn't have a Holy Book that listed each and every descendant by name - all representing a star, all representing a piece of the promise fulfilled. But here we stand. We can look all throughout history. We can see the faithfulness of God. We can see the consequences of disobedience. We can see the hope of glory. We can read in scripture, and study, and find all that our heart needs to rest assured that God is able to do what He says He will do. In the past, God's people could only experience God's presence through certain terms and conditions. It required a priest. It required a sacrifice. The presence of God resided in an ark that would strike you dead if you touched it or even came near it unworthily.You had to go through many different channels to receive pardon for your sins. But now, we have only ONE channel. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He became our sacrifice. He became our High Priest. He tore the veil, allowing us access into the Holy of Holies. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can experience God's presence at any time. We don't have to go through a Priest to commune with the Savior. We have unlimited access to His presence and power. We can call on Him at any time, day or night.

And because we have SEEN His Goodness,

Because we have HEARD His Word,

Because we have FELT His Presence

Because we have EXPERIENCED His Faithfulness,

Because we KNOW that He is TRUTH and He cannot lie,

Because we KNOW  that He is LOVE, and He will not fail us,

We can TRUST Him. We can BELIEVE in Him. We can EXPECT great things from Him.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV) says that He is able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."

Isaiah 55:9-11 (KJV) says,

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

     In Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) God tells us that He has a plan for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give a us "a hope and a future." The KJV translates this by saying He plans to give us an "expected end." We can expect it. It is a sure thing. It is a good thing. God has a plan and a purpose for all things. He is in control of it all, and He is working all things together for good. His Word will not return void, but will accomplish all that He sets out for it to accomplish. When you put your trust in man, you can expect heartache. But when you put your trust in God, you can expect a hope and a future. You can expect your needs to be met and promises to be fulfilled. You can expect blessings and fruition far greater than anything you could ever imagine. You can expect it because God has been faithful before, and He will be faithful forevermore.

To expect from God, means to hope in God.

Psalm 62:5-8 says,

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."

     Our hope comes from God. He alone is our rock and salvation. He alone is our refuge. When the storms of life come our way, Hebrews 6:19 says we have a hope "as an anchor for the soul." It holds us firm and steady. It holds us safe and secure. We have no need to fear. We have no need to worry. The God who controls the storms and seas is living inside of us. Even in the darkness. Even in the storms. Even when it feels like you are on the edge of heartbreak. We can't be shaken. We can't let our faith waver. We must patiently wait and eagerly anticipate. In this season of waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled, we must continue to hold tightly to the hope that anchors our souls, the only true hope we can ever place our expectations in. My soul waits only upon God, for my hope is in Him.