Unfulfilled expectations can be terribly disappointing, yet when they are ‘apparently’ unfulfilled by God, it can feel catastrophic! One problem is that we can find ourselves imposing expectations on God that are false: the idea that He will do something we thought He had promised but hasn’t, or sometimes misunderstanding what He has promised when actually His plan is much bigger.
On Sunday evenings over the last few weeks in Matthew ch 11, we have seen John the Baptist’s disappointment that although the Lord Jesus clearly IS the Saviour, the promised judgement hadn’t yet happened! The Lord Jesus’s response was to point out that although John was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets who pointed to God’s plan, the amazing fulfilment of that plan in the Kingdom of God is far greater than ever they imagined.
If you are a Christian today then the Lord Jesus’s words apply to you:
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matt 11:11)
As a Christian you aren’t simply pointing towards the coming Kingdom of God, you are a member of it! As a Christian you aren’t preparing for God’s forgiveness, you have received. As a Christian you don’t just long to receive God’s grace, you are a demonstration of it.
One day we can be certain that God’s promise of a new creation will be completely fulfilled and beyond our wildest dreams! In the meantime we must make sure that our expectations of Him align with what He promised in the Bible – and watching those promises realised will be our wonderful encouragement.
Spencer Shaw