Is it good or bad to have expectations? We all have them in people
or situations, but sometimes we expect people to keep us happy when
it’s not their job. The definition of expectations is; a belief that some-
one will or should achieve something. And when they don’t, we get
upset or frustrated with them. In all honesty, in keeping things bal-
anced, we need to expect good things to happen and accept them when
they don’t. Because not everything is supposed to work out the way we
expect it to. That’s when lessons are learned, and our belief is strength-
ened. Even in Jesus’s day, people expected certain things to happen,
and when they didn’t, it affected the rest of their lives.

Before Jesus, the Jews were ruled by the Romans. Many expected
the Messiah to be a military figure who would fight the Romans for
them. Other Jews were expecting a prophet like Moses. The Jewish
people wanted to return to the glory days under their greatest ruler,
King David. So Jesus was totally unexpected in their eyes.

Why were they expecting a warrior savior? Here’s what it says in
Numbers 24:17-19 Balaam spoke to king Bakala, who asked him to
curse the Israelites. Instead, he blessed them three times. Among other
things he said to the king:
“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come
out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the fore-
heads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. Edom will be con-
quered; Seir, His enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow
strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the
city.” They were expecting a warrior, someone that would come in and
take charge. They were not expecting a loving, kind, gentle-hearted
man like Jesus Christ who would humbly go to His death for our sins.

Don’t get me wrong, having expectations is a good thing, but when
we get so focused on what we expect, and it doesn’t work out the
way our minds think it should, we don’t understand, just like what
John the Baptist went through. He saw the Spirit descend from
heaven like a dove on Jesus when he baptized Him. He heard God say,
“This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.” He wit-
nessed this amazing exchange between Jesus and God. Yet, years later,
as he sat in prison, John’s expectations hadn’t been met. And when
expectations aren’t met, doubt comes in. It’s almost like John the Bap-
tist was saying if Jesus was really the Messiah, why wouldn’t He come
to get me out of prison. Why hasn’t he saved us all? He questioned
what he already knew because it wasn’t what he expected.

In the end, Jesus was the warrior for us all. It says in Ephesians
4:8 in the Living Bible translation, The psalmist tells about this, for he
says that when Christ returned triumphantly to heaven after His resur-
rection and victory over Satan, He gave generous gifts to men. Jesus
was victorious, but He went about it in a totally different way than
what people expected.

Yes, it’s good to have expectations, but we must be careful to real-
ize it doesn’t always work out the way we expect. I can’t speak for
you, but my expectations always have a surprise ending. I guess you
can say it’s a lesson in having faith that things will work out somehow
instead of expecting them to work out the way we want them to. God
has his own plans, and usually, things work out even better his way.
Trusting in God’s ways can help us keep our expectations in check
because His ways are so, much higher than ours. So, instead of being
frustrated when things don’t work out as expected, remember to trust
that God has a plan and we just don’t know what it is yet.
May this holiday bring more than you expect. God’s blessings on
you for this year and the years to come.
~~Barb Novad