What Is Your Expectation Of God?

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:18-19

This weekend marks the official start of fall, and I could not be more excited! The weather is beautiful outside. There is a steady, whimsical breeze blowing through the trees outside my window. And there are a couple of very cute earth-toned sweaters on my Amazon Wishlist that are calling my name.

With a new season comes the expectation of change. The leaves are going to change. The temperature is going to change. The amount of sunlight we get each day is going to change. And the types of clothes we wear are going to change (thank the Lord). Those are expectations that naturally come with one season ending and another one beginning.

And I can’t help but wonder, what would it look like for us to be expectant for our lives to change as we walk into a new season? What would it look like for us to expect God to show up in a new way in the coming months? What would it look like for us to have the expectation that God is going to answer our prayers in the season ahead?

I think a lot of times, as Christians, we hope God is going to come through, but we don’t always expect Him to. We have a mindset of wishful thinking more than confident expectation. I know I struggle with that, if I’m being honest. But I wish that wasn’t the case.

This reminds me of a story I heard once of a little girl who asked her mom if they could go to the park. Her mom replied, “Not today, sweetheart, but I’ll take you on Saturday.” The little girl giggled with excitement and proceeded to talk all week about how she couldn’t wait for Saturday.

When Saturday morning finally arrived, the little girl walked into her mother’s room, fully dressed, toys in hand, ready for a fun day at the park. As her mother looked outside, the sky was dark. It was pouring rain. And there was thunder rolling in the background.

But none of that seemed to faze the little girl. Her mom had told her they were going to the park on Saturday, and she chose to believe her. She expected her mom to keep her promise, no matter what the surrounding circumstances looked like.

I wish I was more like this little girl when it came to my relationship with Jesus. I wished I always had that much confidence that God was going to come through on His promises, even when my circumstances tried to persuade me otherwise. And I wish I wouldn’t let my expectations of God waver based on what was going on around me.

God makes us promises, clear promises, in His Word that we can expect Him to keep. We don’t have to live our lives with crossed fingers and lingering doubts about whether or not He’s going to show up for us. We can have the same kind of confidence that little girl had that God is going to keep His word because we serve a God who means what He says.

If God has told you He’s going to do a new thing in this upcoming season (Isaiah 43:18-19), then expect Him to do it.

If God has told you He’s going to bring redemption and restoration (Psalm 130:7), then expect Him to bring it.

If God has told you He’s going to guide you down the right path (Isaiah 30:31), then expect Him to guide you.

If God has told you that He’s going to give you an answer to your prayer (1 John 5:14-15), then expect Him to answer you.

You know that with the fall settling in, change is coming. You know what to expect because every year you see the faithfulness of the seasons showing up when they’re supposed to. Well, friend, God is even more faithful and more dependable than the changing of the seasons. He always comes through. He always shows up. So look to Him with great expectation as you walk into this new season, not just of the year, but of your life.