Raise Your Expectations
Expectations. We all have them. We expect to make friends, we expect to get married at a certain age, we expect to go to college and one day get our dream job. These are not bad things to strive for. I will be the first to admit that these are all things that I have worked towards. But what happens when we don’t get married by that age? Or we don’t get the job we really wanted? We feel let down, right? Our expectations were not met. If we’re being honest, we know that these are not the things that are going to fill us up and complete us. So, what do we need to do? We need to shift our focus. We need to raise our expectations from things of this world to things that are eternal. We need to believe for more.
Are your expectations in the Lord or in things of this world? I’ll never forget this piece of advice I got from a mentor in college. She told me that if I am putting all my hope and expectation in people and the materialistic things of this world, I will always be let down. People are sinful and this world is broken. Those things are never going to meet my expectations perfectly. But the good news is that we praise a God who not only meets, but far exceeds our expectations. He knows what we want, but he also knows what we need, and he is faithful in the way he meets our expectations. My challenge to you is to raise your expectations to what is eternal, not temporary.
In Philippians 1:19-20, Paul is talking about his deliverance from imprisonment. With so much confidence and expectation in the Lord, he says, “For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Our needs and expectations are met by the Spirit of God. No matter where you’re at in your life, you are in the center of God’s will! Live your life to promote and to glorify not yourself, but Jesus!
We are called to live in anticipation for Christ. To live in expectation of him and his work. I pray that we can believe there is more for us, and we can have faith that the best is yet to come! One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 17:20. It says, “He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” All it takes is a little bit of faith and even the slightest expectation that God will move in your life. Because we are human, our ability to comprehend what the Lord is doing is limited. We have no idea all that he can and will do in our lives when we just expect him to move. All it takes is one step from us and he will take the other 99. Start with shifting your mind to the things above. When you raise your expectations, God will exceed your expectations.
Having expectations can be hard and even frustrating at times. Having expectations means you are waiting for something that has not happened yet. It’s anticipating that of which God has called you to, but not being there quite yet. Yes, we must raise our expectations but understand that they may be coupled with frustration. And this frustration comes from the fact that we live in a broken world. We prefer to have things our way and as soon as possible. But God’s timing doesn’t work like ours. Raising your expectations also requires trust and patience, knowing that the Lord is on your side, and he genuinely wants the best for you.
Remember that this world is temporary! We weren’t made to be here forever. We weren’t made to have expectations of the world that will only temporarily satisfy. We were made for more. We were made for eternal expectations that are met when you have faith in Christ.
So, now I challenge you to ask yourself, “What am I expecting God to do in my life?”
Challenges:
Set your mind on things above. This is where it all starts. Your expectations can’t be in the Lord if your mind is worldly-focused.
Write out 3 areas of your life you are expectant that the Lord will move! Once you write them out, pray on them every day. Pray for him to move and to open your eyes to the work he is doing in those areas.
Write out 3 ways that the Lord has already been moving in your life. Yes, it’s so great to come to the Lord asking him to move. But it is equally important to praise him for the ways he has already moved! What a great way to glorify him and keep him at the forefront of your mind.
Prayer:
Lord, what a beautiful day! Thank you for who you are and for giving us another day on this earth to glorify you. I pray that we never take a day for granted, and we use every opportunity to know you more and to make you known. Lord, I pray that we would lift our eyes to you, today. That we would put our hopes and expectations in you and eternity, rather than the fleeting things of this world. You are the only one that can satisfy us and meet our expectations perfectly. I pray that we would live each day in anticipation of the way that you are going to meet us and move in our lives. We are so thankful for the work you are doing in this world! We give you all the glory and praise. We love you. In Jesus’ name! Amen!