Releasing My Expectations
SHALA W. GRAHAM
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“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)
It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has not been what I expected. I had my word for the year picked out. I was excited about all the incredible ways God was going to show up and show out. I was going to live my best life in 2020!
But then a virus swept through the entire world.
Although I have been a planner since I was a young girl, cautiously taught to expect the worst just in case, I never expected or planned for this.
Jesus, I know I was praying for you to guide and direct me, but this is not what I had in mind!
Naively, the thought of living through a pandemic never occurred to me as a possible reality. While I’ve dealt with heartache and pain financially and relationally, I generally have an expectation for how I think God should come to my miraculous rescue. But God’s been teaching me about adjusting my expectations.
Do you remember the story of Barabbas? Ever since I was a little girl in Sunday school, I remember hearing about Pilate asking the people if they wanted him to release Jesus or Barabbas. It seemed like a no-brainer. Barabbas was a rebel, murderer and thief. Every video I saw of this story portrayed Barabbas as a dirty, barbaric, insane man. He was clearly the “bad guy.”
I always assumed that the leading Jews simply hated Jesus so much that they would prefer to let this madman free instead of Jesus. While there is some truth to that — hello, they were trying to kill Jesus — I recently learned in my small group Bible study that it was deeper than that. Expectations were involved.
Mark 15:7 explains that, “among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas” (ESV). These details I skimmed over were documented for a reason. The Jewish people were waiting for a savior who would rebel against Roman rule, a warrior willing to do whatever it took, murder included.
Some scholars believe that Barabbas was kind of a Robin Hood, who robbed from the wealthy upper class of Israel and Rome, and was therefore popular among common people. It seems like Barabbas is the kind of man the Jews were expecting as a promised messiah. So, they asked for Barabbas.
Sometimes, we have our minds so fixed on what we’re expecting that we can’t see the truth of Jesus right in front of us. Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophecies, but because He didn’t look like what they were expecting, they rejected Him.
When things don’t line up with my expectations, my default response is to reject it, too. It simply doesn’t fit. I don’t see how it’s going to work. My detailed spreadsheet cannot calculate this anomaly. I end up frustrated and afraid.
In those moments, God humbly reminds me that, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). Regardless of whether my expectations are met, I can trust that God’s purpose will prevail. And God’s purpose is greater than my expectations.
Father, help me to be careful what I ask for in this season. What I expect and desire as solutions to my current challenge may be subpar compared to what You have in mind. I release my expectations. I trust in Your purpose and plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.