Expectation

Posted by Jimi Williams on Feb 21, 2011 | Comments Off

This word has been on my mind and in my heart the last few weeks. It’s a word we use in our everyday language. We might say “I have high expectations for you”, or “This has exceeded my expectations”. A pregnant mom will say ”Yes, we are expecting”. However you use it, the meaning is to look forward to something with great anticipation.  You could easily interchange the words “hope” and “belief”.

Expectation exists for the future. We are looking ahead to something we don’t already have in hopes of receiving it at some point, whether it’s 3 minutes from now or 3 years from now. We don’t have expectations about the past or the present.

I remember has a kid growing up, Christmas was huge at our house. My dad knew what to say to whip my brother and I into a frenzy of excitement. My anticipation would start sometime around mid-November. I would get the Sears catalog in the mail (if you’re the post-internet generation, don’t judge me) and page through all the toys, making notes and dog-earing pages for later review. By the time Christmas eve rolled around, I was so jacked up I would usually stay up all night.  I had GREAT expectations!

When we come together to worship on Sundays, do we have any expectations of God? Are they big expectations or modest? Are they focused only on ourselves?

As I hunt through the Scriptures, I can’t find an instance where God was offended at anyone who had huge expectations of Him. The blind beggar asked for his sight. Solomon asked for great wisdom. The centurion asked for a spoken word of healing. These examples beg the question, “Are our expectations of God too small?”.

What if we all show up Sunday morning with high expectations of God? What if we come expecting to encounter God’s glory like Moses did. What if we come, like the Centurion, expecting the healing of a friend? What if we come expecting an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like the apostles experienced at Pentecost?

“Lord, we want more of You in our lives. We believe that You can do all things. And that You desire to bless Your church. We believe, help our unbelief! Help us to be a church with high expectations of You.  Remove our blinders so that we can see You. Help us to boldly approach Your throne of grace with confidence. Lord, You alone can do great things, therefore we come with high expectations!”

Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, the Bridge