When We Pray: Expect Your Expectations, Not Manage Them
Proverbs 23:18, ESV: Surely there is a future,and your hope will not be cut off.
Ephesians 3:20, ESV: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.
It’s beautiful to know that God has a plan and an end for you in mind; an expected end. This is an essential truth because your success in prayer is largely dependent on this. God plans to do you good in the end. To give you an expected end. Notice that this end is not random, not a function of chance, but a calculated, thought-out end that will do you good. Hence, if this is the case, then successful prayer cannot happen without such an expectation!
Expectation becomes an essential ingredient for successful prayer simply because it’s how God would have done it if He were praying. Notice Jesus in Mark 11:23, ESV
Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. The key phrase in this verse is the part that says, “but shall believe that what He says shall come to pass”, that right there is expectation. Notice in Jesus’ response to the disciples when they saw the manifestation that He spoke as One expecting no one to ever eat of that tree ever again. The withering of the tree came in fulfilment of Jesus’ expectation (Mar 11:20-22).
So then, what does the word expectation mean in the Bible? In our opening text in Proverbs, it’s the Hebrew word, tiqvah, which, when translated, means hope, something I long for, an outcome. Keep this meaning in mind. In the New Testament, expectation and hope are translated from the same Greek word, elpis, which means “an expectation of what is sure or certain”. It also means “an expectation of good”, in the Christian sense, a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. This is important because what we know of hope puts it at loggerheads with what we have been taught faith is. We have been led to believe that hope is in the future, but faith is now. In reality, faith and hope work together.
In Hebrews 11, ‘faith is the substance of things hoped for’, so faith crystallises my confident expectation of good. So then, following the same train of thought, if faith without works is dead, it follows that my action of faith is proof that I have hope, which is a confident expectation of good. Hence, if I have no expectation of good, then it can’t be said I have faith because what are my actions geared towards? Another critical point to note about expectation is that it is used in the context of salvation. It’s a joyful and confident expectation of salvation. This means that I’m joyful and confident that I have eternal life and will see Jesus when I go to heaven. This assurance makes us steady and gives us security. Meaning of my salvation, I’m sure! I’m certain. Nothing can shake my assurance. Hence, I’m joyful and confident as I face whatever comes.
So, how does this apply to prayer? The prayer of faith must have an expectation tied to it. Our opening text said SURELY, there is an end! God has already promised to give us an expected end. Hence, our prayer must have elpis: a confident expectation of good. Hence, prayer that would yield results must have an expectation, and we must pray from that expectation, the end that is believed for into the present that appears to be lacking those things. Never approach God without an expectation because faith won’t work without it. God’s given us a surety, your expectation will not be cut off. The Message Bible puts it beautifully: Proverbs 23:17-18, MSG.
Don’t for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of- GOD- That’s where your future lies. Then you won’t be left with an armload of nothing.
Hence, God plans never to leave you with an armload of nothing. Your expectation ensures you are leaving with something! Why? see our text in Ephesians, for God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we can ask or think or even imagine! So in your place of prayer, coming with no expectation is coming with no end in mind and having no end in mind receives nothing. Every person Jesus healed had a request that spelt out their expectation! The woman with the issue of blood was a good example; “If I can only touch the hem of His garment, I’ll be made whole”. She came with an end in mind. This end informed her actions; it buried the shame and embarrassment of the stench she carried around with her and forced her way through the crowd till she touched Jesus! Expectation draws from the never-ending supply of resources and the power of God. People often say to manage your expectations, and that’s a trap set by the enemy to make you leave with nothing! God is not intimidated by your expectations; He is looking for them to bring them to manifestation! Jeremiah 29:11 tells us God plans to give an expected end. A hope and a future, a joyful and confident expectation of good! So go into prayer with the end in mind; expect your expectations; don’t manage them! God can bring it to pass! God will bring it to pass, and God has brought it to pass.
