When expectations are
not met we often become frustrated, angry or disillusioned. Last week
I said that before giving into these responses and emotions we should
check our expectations and make sure they are biblical, realistic,
not selfishly motivated, etc. But there is yet another
concern here. I see this in my own heart.
The
source of my own frustration is not entirely the result of my own
failure or the failure of others but a lack of faith in our Sovereign
God. Maybe it's just me, but I have sensed a heaviness on many
of you. I
wonder if this is why many of you have been missing from worship.
Maybe it has something to do with what you expect from your
Sunday morning experience? You are frustrated? You feel
like its not "working" for you? I can relate. But is the cause really what's happening or what's not happening? What if the cause is simply our own unbelief?
I have to confess once again that I tend to be a glass-half-empty sort of person. I have to battle negative expectations all the time and remind myself of the good news of the gospel and God's ability to exceed even my most optimistic expectations. But this is a battle for me personally. I find that often many doubts, fears and selfish desires weigh on me especially on Sunday and cause me to doubt and to have negative expectations. Though I want God to do great things in our lives, I find that often I don't expect him to. I go into so many Sunday mornings with low expectations simply because too many times my expectations have been let down. Perhaps I need to examine those expectations. Maybe I am expecting tongues of fire or some other awakening to take place every Sunday? I am certain my expectations are off somewhere. It is likely, I am expecting too little from God and too much from everyone and everything else.
I have to confess once again that I tend to be a glass-half-empty sort of person. I have to battle negative expectations all the time and remind myself of the good news of the gospel and God's ability to exceed even my most optimistic expectations. But this is a battle for me personally. I find that often many doubts, fears and selfish desires weigh on me especially on Sunday and cause me to doubt and to have negative expectations. Though I want God to do great things in our lives, I find that often I don't expect him to. I go into so many Sunday mornings with low expectations simply because too many times my expectations have been let down. Perhaps I need to examine those expectations. Maybe I am expecting tongues of fire or some other awakening to take place every Sunday? I am certain my expectations are off somewhere. It is likely, I am expecting too little from God and too much from everyone and everything else.
I
don't think I am alone in this. Therefore I want to
challenge you to join me in seeking change for ourselves and for
our church. Psalm 5:3 says, "In
the morning, O Lord,
you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and
wait in expectation." David lifts up his prayer, believes that
God hears and expects that God will answer in his time. I
believe this is an example we need to adopt. Here's
what I am asking you to do. Think about what you would like to see
happen in our church and pray that God would do it and expect that he
will. In case you are not sure what that might be, here are some
ideas: pray that God would open hearts and minds; heal
brokenness; strengthen faith; correct and discipline; increase wisdom
and knowledge; strengthen the bonds of fellowship and love;
and enable us to reach out to the lost and broken in our
community. If we are all praying expectantly for such things I
believe we can expect God to surpass our most optimistic
expectations.
When
you come through the doors on Sunday, what will you be expecting?
Let's make it a point to stop expecting negative things to happen. I
hope that through prayer and faith, you will be expecting to meet
with your God and to receive great blessings from him.
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