Expectations and Hope

Phil. 1:19-20 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

In these unprecedented times, never seen or experienced before in our lifetime, where a tiny unseen virus has effectively and unexpectedly shut down the great powers and economies of the world, how ought we, as followers of Jesus, to respond rightly?

Luke 21: 25-26 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Are we to be like men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world? How should we position our hearts appropriately according to the word of God? What can we expect from God, from our brothers and sisters, and from the world?

Luke 3:15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,

We, who already have Christ living in our hearts by the Holy Spirit: what do we expect from our leaders?

I am so blessed to be a 3rd generation believer. Some of you know my testimony and family legacy. My grandfather was saved in the 1920’s deep in the heart of China through missionaries from the China Inland Mission, who like many of our workers in All Nations International, chose to go to the hard places where the gospel had never been. Because of them, the Ho family was able to move to Shanghai where my grandfather became a church planter and elder in the church, and my father received an education, and was later a part of a church planting movement in Taiwan. And I was born on the 3rd floor of the church where we lived. Most of my formative life, I grew up in the church.

While this is a huge blessing, it was also a crucible of testing -- as with all communities where faulty human beings gather – where I experienced first-hand the weaknesses and fallacies of leaders and followers alike, and struggled through confusion, anger, disappointment and conflict. Hard stories for another time and place.

But through it all, I learned a valuable lesson.

Did you know that the English word “expectation” (NASV) is used only nine times in the entire Bible? Whereas the English word “hope” is used 132 times. Which word do you think is more important? Do a word study of each verse, and I believe the Holy Spirit will reveal conviction and truth, that will strengthen your faith, bolster your character, and restore your relationships shakily built on expectations, and not solidly on hope.

Expectation or expectations is NOT biblical. If we look to men, or leaders, as the people looked to John the Baptist with wrong expectations, we too will be disappointed. In Job, God moved heaven and earth, allowed his life to be turned upside down and inside out, suffered unfathomable hardship (by our fluffy standards of today), to destroy even his false expectation of God himself (Job 41:9). As I studied the few scriptures regarding expectations, and the multitude regarding hope, I became convicted that we need to purposefully and intentionally realign our heart and mind, to put no expectations on any human person, except for God himself, and even then, to expect rightly in hope. Whether it is family members, brothers and sisters in Christ, or non-believers, we must release all expectations in every human being, or we will surely be disappointed, sooner or later, one way or another. As Paul declared, our earnest expectation and hope must be upon Christ alone, and regardless of what happens, whether by life or death, it is ultimately not even about ourselves, but so that Christ will be exulted.

I learned, through hard lessons, to always “hope” the best in people, and to place no expectations on anyone, except in Christ alone. And failing that in my humanness, to try and expect both the best and the worst equally, so that I might not be surprised by anything in between. “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.” (Psalm 62:5) and “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5).

Hope is powerful and liberating, and in these unusual times, “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us hope in each other in Christ, but place no expectations on each other. Let us love each other dearly with the love of God that has been poured out within our hearts by Him who died on the cross for us, while we were yet enemies, with no expectations that we would owe him anything. Love each other unconditionally, with no expectations.

Reflection Point:

How does hope and expectation show up in your life? Are there ways you want to change anything about how you extend greater freedom to others to make their own choices?

About the author:

John Ho - was born in Taiwan and grew up in four countries – Taiwan, Thailand, Laos and the U.S. He graduated from the University of California Berkeley, and is a licensed bi-vocational architect with his own consulting practice. He has lived and worked in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Taipei, Hong Kong and currently resides in Kansas City with his wife, and their two adult sons.

Repost from Sep 18 2020

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