How do you handle unmet expectations?
You hope and pray for God to answer your prayers a certain way and when He answers them it’s not how you expected. How do you react? Are you praising him? Or are you complaining?
The hope that we find in Christ is authentic and guaranteed. At times our hope may seem thin and unreliable yet in the Word, Peter describes it as a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3), and in Hebrews, the author says it’s an “anchor for the soul.” (Hebrews 6:19).
One important character in the Christmas story who isn’t mentioned often nor does he even receive the limelight in the seven verses where he is referenced in the book of Luke. Yet, he plays a vital part in the whole story. Meet Simeon, a devout and righteous man who faithfully obeyed the LORD. He was waiting on the Messiah, like a little kid at Christmas. He was old and he wanted to see the Messiah before he died. He had an idea, an expectation in his mind of what the great Messiah would be; yet, he wasn’t prepared for what he met instead. He had the hope that God would allow him the opportunity to meet the Messiah before his passing. The LORD did provide as He said he would, “The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.” (Luke 2:25b-26). He was led to the Temple that day by the Holy Spirit and God fulfilled His promise. Simeon met BABY Jesus, the Messiah.
Do you think Jesus surprised him? Was he expecting a little baby to be the one that would save his people, or was he looking for a great ruler, a decorated King?
How would you feel knowing that once you did meet the Messiah, your time to die was near?
That’s Jesus’ kind of hope.
Mary believed that she would see the glory of God. A teenage girl was called to be the mother of Jesus. What an honor and how overwhelming at the same time. Can you imagine, Mary going about her business betrothed to Joseph and then an angel comes and greets you? Telling you that you are going to be the mother of the “Son of the Most High!”
That’s Jesus’ kind of hope.
God’s work in the Bible was rarely what anyone expected, it was always so much more. It was more than anyone imagined.
Since God never changes, I hope He will do the unexpected in my life and yours.
Where am I hoping for Jesus to revive hope in my life? Maybe an estranged relationship, a broken heart, or a medical diagnosis?
How long have you been hoping for ___? Let me join you today in prayer and together we can fulfill the scripture of Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (NLT).
When God meets your dreams and fills them unexpectedly, does that make you hope less? Does it blow you off course, because it is different than you expected?
I feel now that I’m older, that I do a decent job at handling the unexpected answers to prayers and promises. And yes, they are always so much more than I could have imagined. I do still struggle with continuing to pray for something that hasn’t happened yet. I need to do a better job of holding on to that hope and faith!
Vickie I understand, it is hard. I’ll be praying for you to hold onto that hope and faith of God’s goodness.