Expectations

There seems to be a big difference between believing that God “can” do something; and, “expecting” that He will.

If I believe God “can” do a particular thing… but, in reality I don’t “expect” that He will, does that qualify as a sound position of faith? Likely not.

In Matthew 9:29 the Passion Translation has an interesting wording… “Then Jesus put his hands over their eyes and said, “You will have what your faith expects!” So… what. my. faith. expects.

I mentioned in a prior post that expectations seem to be a barometer for our measure of faith. Low expectations equals low measure of faith.

Why does that matter? Mathew 13:58 says, “and Jesus didn’t do very many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” So, our measure of faith seems to influence God’s willingness to be involved supernaturally.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my own expectations and how I would rate them. Unfortunately, I have to admit that often my expectations are quite low. Perhaps I am lowering my expectations to avoid disappointment. Maybe I believe there is some merit to settling… Or maybe I think it’s super spiritual to excel at effectively managing lack, thinking that is what God wants from me…So I settle there.

How do I elevate my expectations… and therefore my level of faith?

Listening to what God is saying about an issue.

Connecting with what is true in Heaven about an issue.

Seeing things in light of the nature of God.

Focus on the love of God.

Deepening my understanding of God’s father heart towards us.

To name a few…

All of these seem to be important in heightening our expectations… and therefore our measure of faith.

So, we will have “what our faith expects.” Our expectations seem to be key.