🤯 Unexpected Expectations

💭 Devotional Thoughts

Our expectations of God can become shaped more by our emotions and cultural ideals than by His Word. We often equate loud, visible, and extraordinary things with the movement of God. We expect blessings to come wrapped in shining packages or help to come from people of influence and position.

Elijah had just come from a great victory over the prophets of Baal. He had seen fire fall from heaven. He knew what dramatic encounters with God looked like. So when he fled to the wilderness, discouraged and afraid, he probably hoped for another powerful experience—something undeniable to bolster his weary spirit. But God didn’t repeat the drama. Instead, He came in a low whisper, as if to say, “I’m not always where you expect Me, but I’m always here.”

Likewise, the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3 had a fixed expectation: coins. That's all he thought possible. Healing wasn't even on his radar. Yet God bypassed what the man thought he needed and gave him something far greater. A miracle of mobility and restoration, wrapped in the ordinary interaction with two disciples.

In our own lives, we may pray for a breakthrough and expect it to come through the front door, grand and obvious. But sometimes it comes through a side window—quiet, unnoticed, and humbling. Years ago, I sought a favor from someone I thought could help me. I was sure they were the key to my answer. But they turned me down. Disappointment clouded my faith for a moment—until the church member who accompanied me stepped forward to provide what I needed. God used someone I hadn’t even considered. His provision came through a vessel I would never have guessed.

This teaches us that our expectations can limit our vision. We must leave room for God to surprise us. His ways are not confined to our logic or preferences. He may not always show up in the way we expect—but He always shows up.

🔍 Practical Reflections

Are you currently looking for God's help, provision, or direction? Have you unknowingly put Him in a box, assuming how He must respond?

Consider this: what if the very disappointment you're facing is a divine redirection?

Reflect on a time when you were surprised by a blessing or answer that came through an unexpected person or circumstance. That might be God's pattern in your life.

God wants to expand our faith—not just to believe that He will answer, but to trust how He chooses to answer.

Be willing to let go of your script. Hold your expectations loosely so that you can hold tightly to God’s leading. He might speak through a whisper, provide through a stranger, or guide through a closed door that reroutes you to something better.

✅ Closing Thoughts

Faith is not just about waiting for God—it’s about trusting Him when the outcome looks nothing like what we had in mind.

God’s nature is unchanging—He is good, faithful, and present. But His methods are beautifully unpredictable. He may delay, reroute, or even deny certain things—not to punish us, but to prepare us for something greater.

When expectations go unmet, don’t let discouragement set in. Look again. Listen closer. Watch for His hand in the quiet moments, the “whispers” of life: a timely conversation, an unexpected offer, a door that closes only to reveal a better one behind it.

Elijah heard God's voice not in thunder, but in a whisper. And often, so will we.

🙏 Prayer

Lord, I thank You that even when my expectations are not met, You are still at work. Teach me to listen for Your voice in the quiet. Help me to be patient when answers don’t come the way I hoped. Remind me that You are faithful, even in silence, even in detours. I surrender my expectations to You. Move as You will, and help me to trust Your perfect plan. Amen.