What Did You Expect?

I recall a chorus we used to sing in Sunday School. “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days, all the days of my life.”

It is actually a take on the scripture found in Psalm 23:6. We sang that so often that I can still hear the voices. And the adults sang it in their church service as well, and I would guess that there are still a few churches that sing the chorus.

I can picture the church service…people signing about how the goodness and mercy of God will be with them, hands raised, voices singing out, sometimes even a smile on their face. But then Monday would come. They would wake with the worries of the world on their mind and the goodness and mercy that they so confidently sang about the day before was pushed to the back corners of their mind.

Why does this happen to so many people? What causes the confidence that is garnered one moment to magically dissipate the next?

The ability to believe and act on the promises found in scripture requires the use of the faith that has been given us by God. To live our lives with the confidence that the goodness and mercy of God is following us every day and every place that we go requires us to wake up every morning with the confidence that this is exactly what will happen. And quite honestly when you begin to live that way and believe that way you are likely to encounter opposition. Some from the enemy and some from those whom you would least expect it from. Those people who will say that you are being unrealistic, that you are out of touch with reality, and will question why you think you are better or for some reason deserve something better than what the rest of the world has been dealt. This is why so many people will decide to let that confident expectation of the goodness and mercy of God following them slip away…because this is often more comfortable and more compliant with family, friends, and relatives who have chosen this path of least resistance, and sadly least reward.

I believe God recorded his promises in scripture to raise our level of expectation and it is rare that a person will ever rise above that same level. What is your expectation for today? For tomorrow? For this week? For this month? This year and the years to come?

When I walk into a situation where I am meeting someone for the first time I have an expectation that the people will like me. When I go into a situation where I am asking for something, I will not enter that meeting until I know in my heart that the expectation is where it should be. I have sat in a parking lot for 5 or 10 minutes praying until I had the confidence needed to walk in there and expect the answer desired. Otherwise there was really no reason to go in. If you don’t believe you are deserving, why should anyone else?
Some people say they don’t want to get their hopes up….then they won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t happen. But that is not the way we are called to live. Scripture tells us that God knows the future he has planned for us…plans to give us a hope and a future. When we don’t live out our lives with that hope we are not following the plan God made for us. When you expect the worst you are playing into the enemies plans and you certainly are not glorifying the one who promises that hope and that future.

Raise your level of expectation and see what is possible.


Matthew 19:26 – “Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

1 Chronicles 4:10 – ‘Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.’

Nehemiah 1:11 – “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved