“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
There has been much “hope deferred” over this past season. So much disappointment, and as such many hearts are sick! We need to get beyond our disappointments in order to step into our divine appointments. Disappointment has a way of getting us off track from our purpose, our calling, and our destiny! If not dealt with disappointment will cause us to step into self-pity, into looking at things from our own understanding and trusting science over the Word!
There is a huge difference between expectation or expectancy. When we expect something, it is usually pretty specific. And when it doesn’t happen, which is usually the case, we have to deal with our disappointment, or it will become a stone in front of us on our journey. When they start to pile up, it becomes an obstacle, a road block that must be removed if we are to continue on our path of faith. Unfulfilled expectations are rampant today and if left unchecked will steal our capacity to dream and trust God for our future.
Though expectations can cause us to be tripped up, expectancy is totally different! It is not as specific but it is just as enthusiastic. We are to come to God with expectancy, not an expectation that He do something specific, according to our dictates! We come expecting Him to do something, something huge, something awesome, but we cannot restrict what that is, or how it is to look, or when it is to come! When He seems to tarry, we simply come back to Him and proclaim that we trust Him even if we don’t understand, and that we still expect Him to do exactly what He wants to do, which will be awesome!
Cry out for God to expose in you any and every place of disappointment and unfulfilled expectations that are impacting your walk with Him. Surrender these to Him and declare that you trust Him in all things! Ask Him to turn your expectations into expectancy. Ask Him to restore in you the ability to dream again, to hope again, and to step back onto His path of life for you! Pray for your pastor, asking God to do the same in him. Pray for others whom you know their hearts are sick because of disappointments. Cry out for those who have walked away for the Church or from the faith because of disappointments! May the hope deferred over this past season be blown out of our city and be replaced with God given dreams and expectancy!
