Keeping Expectations Hopeful

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.

─ Psalm 33:18

We’ve all heard someone say, “Don’t get your hopes up.” They said that because most likely they’d learned the hard way that unmet expectations lead to disappointment. They don’t want to deal with the hurt and pain they feel following a letdown.

So, how can we have faith, hopeful expectations in God, without experiencing disappointment when things go a different direction than expected. Doesn’t God keep His promises? That answer is definitely a resounding YES! The challenge is we can’t help but try to figure out how He’s going to deliver on His promise. And, when we do that, we get an idea in our head or an image in our heart of how He’ll deliver it.

The challenge is, God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). He usually doesn’t do things the way we expect or in the timing we hope for. We must trust God for His very best and not lose hope that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

The way to remain hopeful in the midst of waiting is to look at things from a positive perspective and let go of control. We can look at what we’re waiting for and worry about when (or if) it’ll ever happen. Or we can choose to believe God, take Him at His Word and believe He’ll do what He says with confidence.

Today’s One Thing

Are your expectations positive or negative today? Think about what you are expecting from God, from others and from yourself. What adjustments do you need to make?

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