“I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 NKJV
“Expect good things from God and people, even if disappointed occasionally.”
My thoughts today are about “experiences and expectations.”
Life can be tough, if you are trying to live without any firm conviction of the unchangeable character and unfailing faithfulness of God. When things are a mess around you and nothing seems as you wish it were, where do you look for your North Star? You need an eternal constant that is always a safe and sure point of reference. Things change all the time; God remains as He has always been – the “same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NKJV.
What is your expectation of God? Others? Many expectations are historically based, meaning that your usual or more recent experiences profoundly influence your level of expectation. That inclination is based on inaccurate assumptions that past experiences indicate future prospects.
Expectations of good or bad seem to predispose a person to notice what they were expecting, or overlook what they do not expect. If you hold negative expectations of misfortune or mistreatment from God and/or others, you are likely to see what you expect.
Life is hard when you lose heart in the moment and sad when you lose hope for what’s ahead. Expecting good from God’s hand will hold your heart secure and steadfast. The Psalmist wrote, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 NKJV.
Read the surrounding context of that verse – “surrounded by enemies . . forsaken by mother and father . . false witnesses, etc.” Who wouldn’t be at risk of losing heart in such situations? Yet in contrast to all that, his positive expectation had a clear time frame, “in the land of the living.” Faith’s object must be here and now, not in the sweet by and by.
I think it is better to expect good things from God and people, even if disappointed occasionally, than to expect the worst and be surprised when you were right. Hurt and harm does not come from God’s hand, except in judgment of unrepented sin. The person who has limited or little expectation of good from God may be seeing the facts, but overlooking the greater truth – “No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right. O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you . . And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God. ” Psalm 84:11-12/Romans 8:28 NLT. Let your expectation project your anticipated experience rather than allowing your experience to dictate your expectation.
My prayer for you today is: give God plenty of room for His generous goodness.