We all have expectations of what our lives should be and how we end up. There are family expectations, financial expectations, possession expectations, recreational expectations, retirement expectations, church expectations. It may be a shock to you, but God doesn't care about our expectations...in fact, His desire is that we forsake these expectations and replace them with knowing Him and giving ourselves to His expectations for our lives. If we're honest, we realize that most of the expectations we have do not stem from God but they are the result of prejudices we develop over the course of our lives. The word “prejudice” is defined as: “preconceived judgment or opinion; an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.” These “prejudices” develop from fleshly desires, worldly enticements, and Godly ignorance. These “prejudices” evolve into our expectations. These “expectations” get in the way of a humble submission to God and having an eternal view of life. In the 10-23 devotional by Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest” he says it as succinctly as can be said:

“Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices— He is directly opposed to them and puts them to death. We tend to think that God has some special interest in our particular prejudices, and are very sure that He will never deal with us as He has to deal with others. We even say to ourselves, “God has to deal with other people in a very strict way, but of course He knows that my prejudices are all right.” But we must learn that God accepts nothing of the old life! Instead of being on the side of our prejudices, He is deliberately removing them from us. It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. There is only one thing God wants of us, and that is our unconditional surrender.

How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have the type of love that “is kind…is not provoked, [and] thinks no evil”? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The only way is by allowing nothing of the old life to remain, and by having only simple, perfect trust in God— such a trust that we no longer want God's blessings, but only want God Himself. Have we come to the point where God can withdraw His blessings from us without our trust in Him being affected? Once we truly see God at work, we will never be concerned again about the things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in heaven, whom the world cannot see.”

One of the hardest realizations we make in our Christian journey is that our “expectation” must be set aside in preference of loving God and submitting to His perfect will. When we do, we look back and wonder what took us so long to realize that true blessing, peace, and contentment is found in Him. My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord, the words of this hymn is our prayer today -

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love:
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it
With Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger,
Purchased by the Savior's blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger,
As a son and heir of God.

Walk with the King today and be a blessing.