Great Expectations For an All-Powerful God
Psalm 5: 3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
We got the requests part down in our Christianity. We have no problem usually asking God for what we want. We even understand the wait part; although we are traditionally not very good at it. The part we may overlook too often is the expectation. It is within our expectations of God that we increase our faith. It is within the expectations of God that we see Him move with more power in our lives. Without the faith in His power, we should not actually expect anything from Him:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1: 5-8 (NLT)
Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord! How do we approach the things we desire in this life? Do we approach it with a fatalistic attitude? How many people do you know who speak death into their lives and situations?
"Nothing ever goes right for me."
"This will end the same way everything else does..."
"I'm not meant to be successful."
The power of life and death reside in the tongue and we speak so much garbage into our hopes and dreams. So much doubt. So much desperation on the cusp of surrender. But look how James describes it here. When you approach Almighty God with a doubtful spirit you actually have a divided loyalty problem! You are unsettled in your faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We should expect nothing from Him then.
