Expectations

My soul, wait thou only upon God;

for my expectation is from him. Psalm 62:5

Is there something right now you are longing for? Do you have plans that if they were to be redirected, your world would be unbelievable shaken? Maybe you are simply ready for your family vacation, or maybe graduation is approaching. Whatever it may be, I challenge you to pause and consider not only your dreams and plans but also your heart’s drive. Where are these goals and desires stemming from?

The year 2020 has no doubt thrown plenty of curve balls in all our lives. I know so many plans have been fully uprooted and redirected. We could all tell story after story of how unpredictable and challenging navigating these times have been.

The word expectation has been on my mind lately. As I have been reading God’s word as well as evaluating my own life, I continue to see how easy it is for our expectations to be misguided or held with a closed fist. This could be from something as simple as the events of your day being forced in a different direction resulting in you not accomplishing the tasks you desired to achieve, to bigger life picture plans like your dream job falling through, to even relationally placing your hope in a person. Whatever it may be, frustrations and discontentment stem from a heart of misplaced expectations.

In Psalm 62 we see David begin by crying out that his soul silently waits for God alone.

Truly my soul waiteth upon God:

from him cometh my salvation. Psalm 62:1

Then he proceeds to question his enemies in verses 3-4. And we know in context that David’s circumstances included persecution from Absalom. But once we read verse 5, we see David’s evidenced implicit trust in God.

My soul, wait thou only upon God;

for my expectation is from him. Psalm 62:5

David is speaking to his own soul. He is crying out in desperation to rely on the only unchangeable, powerful, secure truth. God alone was his expectation. And that is why he could face the interruptions, the struggles, the chaos of the day.

I believe every frustration of the heart is the result of a misguided expectation. If you are hanging onto something so tightly that when it is removed from you, your world crashes down, then your expectations are off. “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”

Continuing in Psalm 62 we find David now pleading with the people to pour out their hearts to God.

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart

before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:8

Trusting God is not only our abiding responsibility, but it is also a considerable privilege. To be able to trust the one whose thoughts and plans are far greater and higher, to trust the one who never leaves or forsakes us, trusting He who will supply all of our riches in glory in Christ Jesus, who gives unexplainable peace, is a glorious, tremendous, awe-worthy privilege (Isaiah 55:8-9, Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:19, John 14:27). To be able to pour out our hearts before our gracious, sovereign, powerful God, is a wonderful gift that we should continually give thanks for.

Redeeming our misguided, self-oriented expectations to be placed in God alone needs to become the theme of our minds. This will only come as we continue to meditate therein day and night. My hope, my confident expectation, my God alone.