Recently, I have realized that a lot of times we put our expectations on God.
We tell him what we want to see happen.
We tell him how things should look.
We tell him what we want to do. (or not do)
We tell him what to do or how to move.
We tell him that this, this, and this need to take place.
A lot of people asked me what I was going to do for these two weeks in El Salvador and I know that a lot of people will want to know how many people got saved, what miracles happened, or other huge events that took place.
My answer to what I am doing here is: whatever God wants me to do.
My answer to what happened on my trip is: whatever God wanted to do.
Missions is not about me and it isn’t about you. It isn’t about how many people got saved or how many miracles happened.
Missions is about God. If he calls you to go, you go. Whether something amazing happens or not.
Sometimes God calls us to go because he just wants us to learn how to obey, listen, deny ourselves, or take a step a faith.
He might call you to go to Africa simply to get you out of your bubble and encounter Him in a new way.
He might call you to go because He needs to speak to you.
He might call you to go because He needs you to follow this baby step of faith before He asks you to take a leap.
We can put our expectations on God and tell Him what we want or we can allow Him to move and do whatever He pleases.
Our expectations prevent God from having complete freedom to use us or move in our lives.
Our expectations keep God in a box and limit Him from showing up in our lives.
Our expectations are an outlet for fear. We hold onto expectations instead of trusting God.
Expectations can be in any area of our lives. We might have expectations on what our future plans, family, spouse, or job will look like. But God desires for us to completely surrender to His will. Which means completely surrendering our expectations to Him.
If we truly believe that He knows the plans that He has for us and that they are good and better than ours, then why don’t we trust Him with our future whether it meets our expectations or not?
It might be exactly what we need.
Let our prayers be like that of Jesus, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”?declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways?and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
