Uncovering Unvoiced Expectations

I would like to suggest something to you, something I believe we do constantly. It is unconscious and unvoiced. It has the ability to put us into a state of euphoria or deep depression depending on the outcome. It is cultural and very human, yet fraught with false expectation and impotent power.

We do this from young on. Its root at the very worst is pride – I’m central, I’m deserving, I’m superior. At the least its root is fear. And we know that neither root is of God. In fact He says:

God opposes the proud but favors the humble. (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)
The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? (Psalm 56:11; 118:6)

This thing happens when we ask God for something. We might say, “Lord, please help me find work.” What we really do is tack on the word “NOW” without even realizing it.

“Lord, please help me find work NOW.”
“Father, I need a boyfriend NOW.”
“Jesus, heal my friend from cancer NOW.”

You get the idea and don’t deny it. We presume that we know what is best, that it should be painless, and that the timing is immediate.

Putting it so bluntly sure shows up our ridiculousness. When Job demanded an answer from God for why he was going through such pain and devastation, God’s answer was to give Job a broader view of His character. He was basically saying, “Do you know who I am, and you are questioning what I am doing???”

I remember talking with a friend whose husband just died of a stroke. He was only in his fifties. I said, “What was God thinking to take him now?” Let’s face it, we don’t know what God is doing yet in faith we know God is doing. If we understood God completely wouldn’t He be too small to be God?

So is it still okay to ask God for things? Absolutely, it’s how we ask that will matter.
• Ask accepting that God will answer in His way and His timing.
• Ask with an attitude of worship no matter the answer.
• Ask without demanding.
• Ask with faith in the living, just, loving, merciful God or whichever characteristic He reveals to you at the time.

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Next time you pray, consciously determine if you are unconsciously tacking on NOW. Replace it with thanksgiving that God is still God and you are not.

Blessings from Bev