In Good Company: Trusting God with Unmet Expectations
Sometimes I hate social media. I mean really. I feel like I’m supposed to show up on social media regularly because it presents an opportunity to share the Gospel, make new connections, and support my friends. However, there are days that I literally awake with knots in my stomach.
I’d love to post more pictures of my family. I’d love to talk about something other than work, the latest podcast episode that I just released, or the new collaboration I’m enjoying, but some days that's all I have.
You see, I’m in a very long season of waiting on God to give my husband and me children, and some days, social media is not a very fun playground. With every passing year, I am sadder than the last that we haven’t yet been able to expand our family.
We’ve prayed and we've done all we can in the natural, but God still hasn’t blessed us with children yet. Hearing the doctors say they have no clue why I’m not getting pregnant isn’t the easiest thing to listen to, regardless of how encouraging their intentions.
But how are you? Have you been wrestling with the reality of your unmet expectations lately? Because if you have been, we're in good company.
Whenever I need encouragement, I look to Elijah's story in 1 Kings 19. I just love God for including his story because it’s one that I believe can speak to us in this moment.
After calling fire down from heaven, prophesying that God would end the drought that had gone on for three and a half years, and outrunning evil king Ahab’s chariot, we find that our dear brother is tired. His emotional health has hit an all time low, and he’s incapable of carrying more. In fact, he becomes downright depressed before expressing his fears and worries about what’s going on in Israel.
Every time I read it, I fall more in love with God. His response is so tender and merciful that it gives me greater perspective of who He is when we struggle to understand the difficult moments in our own lives.
First, God sends an angel to minister to Elijah and feed him. When Elijah travels to Mount Horeb, God decides to show up in a gentle whisper. Not once does he ever rebuke Elijah for his thoughts. Instead, he lovingly tells Elijah that he is not the only one and then sends him to find further relief among community.
Elijah had no choice but to wait until God was ready to speak. God could have given him the same message at the bottom of the mountain where the angel ministered to Elijah. Instead, God journeyed with him, spoke gently, and gave him a vision for the future.
God wants to do the same for us. He's journeying with us, waiting to speak gently, and give us vision for the future. What will we do with the invitation?
Scripture for meditation
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
Psalm 22:4,5 (NIV)
Prompts for discussion or journaling
In what area of life have you wrestled with unmet expectations?
In what areas of life do you see God’s blessings in your life?
What is one thing you can do this week to focus on God and build your trust in His goodness?
Go to the Dawn app to share your thoughts on this devotion and discussion questions or to request prayer, located in Resources > Community.
