The Shifting Sand of False Expectation
December 10, 2018
I was driving past the Race Trac where I usually buy gas yesterday and saw that the price for a gallon of gas was $1.95. I needed gas but there was no way I was going to pay $1.95 for gas when I had bought gas at the new Walmart station for $1.85 the week before. As I thought about that, I thought that just two months ago I would have thought I was stealing if I bought gas for $1.95. What’s happened? My expectations have changed. Experts tell us that gas prices are dependent on a variety of factors such as the price of crude oil, which is itself affected by a number of factors, plus weather, taxes, supply and demand, stability or lack thereof in the Middle East and various other factors. Gas prices have come down dramatically in the last few weeks which has completely changed my expectation about what I should pay for a gallon of gas.
Different expectations will always produce different levels of satisfaction or disappointment. Another example: I was flying back from Los Angeles a few weeks ago and the pilot said that we caught a great tailwind and would land 30 minutes early. Everyone cheered. When we landed he had to tell us that because we landed so early there was no gate open for us and it would be 30 minutes before we would have a gate. Everyone booed! Even though we got off the plane exactly as originally scheduled, the pilot had changed our expectations. If you have ever been in the service business and you have to tell someone how long they will have to wait, you know to give them a higher estimate than expected so they will be happy when they waited less time than the estimate you gave. It’s all about creating proper expectations. When we get less than we expect, we will always be disappointed.
The same is true of our expectations from God. If we believe the prosperity gospel preachers who teach that God wants us to be healthy, wealthy and wise all the time, we will have no category for our suffering. If God is sovereign, the thinking goes, and He wants me to be healthy, wealthy and wise, then how could I ever have to suffer? The problem is false expectations. The Bible is clear that we WILL suffer. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” The psalms are filled with laments from David and others written in the midst of suffering. Joseph was wrongfully thrown in jail. Daniel was exiled. Isaiah was sawn in two. Most of the other prophets suffered. All of the apostles except for John were martyred. Jesus suffered more than anyone who ever lived. Why should we think we should be any different?
The good news is that if we have a proper expectation of suffering, we won’t fear its coming or shrink back when it does come. We will have a category for it in our theology. The same Jesus who said “In this world you will have trouble”, next said, “but take heart, I have overcome the world.” Jesus also said, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” Jesus’ word is truth, so we should expect to suffer. We should also expect that Jesus will be with us in our suffering, and ultimately that when our time on earth is done, that we will spend eternity with Him. When we suffer, we should not ask, Why me? We should ask, why not me? Then we walk by faith asking the Lord to be with us and to help us through this difficult time.
The problem with most expectations is that what we expect is constantly changing. My level of satisfaction or disappointment with what I pay for a gallon of gas depends on what I expect to pay, which is a moving target. My level of satisfaction or disappointment with Jesus depends on my expectations of Him too. But in the case of Jesus, my expectations are not a moving target. Hebrews 13:8: Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever, so I know what to expect.
At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But his birth cannot be separated from why He came. He came to live a perfect life and die a criminal’s death for our sins. He was raised from the dead and promised us that we will be also. With the assurance of Jesus as my savior, His promise that he will never leave me or forsake me, and that He has prepared a place for me, I can rest easy even when I suffer. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground, including the various things that affect the price of gas, is sinking sand.
P.S. I paid $1.99 for gas at Race Trac today. 15 gallons x 4 cents = 60 cents down the drain. ☹ I guess I should change my expectations again!
