“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)
Someone once asked me, “What is the difference between setting expectations with God and coming to God with a sense of expectancy?” With the following examples, I hope to offer some clarity.
1) Tammy has been diagnosed with a degenerative disease in her eyes for which there is no known cure. She goes to her Father: “God, I know You want to heal me, so I am praying that tomorrow morning I will wake up and the disease will be gone.” She has set an expectation of how God is going to work in this situation. But when Tammy wakes up the next morning, she discovers that the disease is, in fact, not gone. Now she is disappointed. God did not work the way she expected.
In this example, Tammy shows us what it means to set an expectation on God. She told God how she expected Him to work in her situation, rather than leaning into His infinite imagination, creativity, and power to implement the best possible solution to her problem. By setting expectations according to her limited human understanding, she attempted to maintain control of her situation. In doing so, Tammy missed out on the blessings she could have received by surrendering to His perfect way for her life. She also unwittingly opened a door to the enemy. Now, he can come against her with lies, such as: “Did God really say He was going to heal you? Then why didn’t He do it? He didn’t hear your prayers; you must be unworthy of His love. He is just too busy to bother with your situation. God doesn’t even exist, and you are just wasting your time praying. You have to fix this yourself!”
2) When Tammy received the diagnosis, she went straight to her Father: “Father, I know that You are willing and able to heal me. You are my Great Physician, my Healer, and the Lifter of my head. By Your stripes I am healed, Jesus. No weapon formed against me will prosper. You are Jehovah Rapha, my Healer. You alone have the power to work good for me out of this situation, and I know You will do it because I love You, and You called me according to Your purpose. I trust You completely and lay this situation at Your feet now. You are faithful! I don’t know what You will do, but I know it’s going to be great! I praise You and thank You in advance for all You are doing and are going to do in this situation.”
In this example, Tammy displayed for us how to come to the Father with expectancy. She surrendered her ideas to the will of the Father, and in doing so freed herself from any doubt, disillusionment, or confusion. She did not put God in a box, rather, she claimed His promises and filled her heart and mind with the Scriptures, thereby eradicating the schemes of the devil. She is free to walk in perfect peace, to walk in her healing and be thankful for it, even though she hasn’t seen it yet.
Do you see the difference? The first example is based on our limited ideas and our attempt to control the situation. This limits God, sets us up for failure, and opens us up to attacks from the enemy. We feel disappointed, anxious, and hopeless.
The second example puts all the control where it belongs: in the hands of the Father. We don’t try to control anything; instead, we put all our trust in God’s infinite power. We rehearse the scriptural promises of God, testimonies of His past faithfulness to us, and biblical examples of the same. We leave no room for doubt or any other lies the enemy may bring against us. We are confident, peaceful, and hopeful!
Prayer:
Father, I surrender my ideas, control, and expectations of how You will work in my situation. I lay it all down with a sense of expectancy: I know You have a solution and that it is far better than anything I could imagine or dare to ask for! I place all my hope and trust in You.
~ Cathy Schrock, writer
~ Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash
