A week or so ago, a good friend of mine said that when it comes to God, she likes to think along the lines of “expectancy” vs. “expectations.” She said that expectations put limits on God because there are specifics. For example, we don’t just pray that we have a healthy baby whom we love; we pray it’s a girl. Or we tell God (very reverently, of course) how our problem should be solved by praying for one (and only one) specific outcome to the situtation.
Expectancy, on the other hand, goes along with the prayer: Let your will be done. We see Mary answer the angel Gabriel with expectancy rather than expectations. We see Simeon and Anna live in expectancy---believing God’s promise to them will come true; believing that they will see and know salvation and redemption in their lifetime.
Expectations puts limits on answers and a box around God’s work.
Expectancy leaves it all up to God, but with hope-filled faith that God keeps God’s promises.
Let’s live with expectancy as God declares:
Look! I’m doing a new thing;
now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
paths in the wilderness. Isaiah 43:19
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