The life motto of the pioneer missionary William Carey was: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."
This is a saying that for years I have heard, but I have only begun to realize how little I live by it myself. Last week when I realized that the Lord had answered a few prayers in my personal life, I was surprised. Surprised--as if I didn't really expect Him to answer my prayers! It was then that it dawned on me that I pray with very little expectancy of God to actually give me what I have asked for. What kind of faith is that? The Bible gives us assurance that we can pray with great expectancy of God answering. In Mark 11:24, Jesus tells His disciples, "I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for--believe that you have received them, and you will have them." Also, in 1 John 5:14-15 we read, "Now this is the confidence we have before Him: whenever we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for."
When we pray, we need to believe that the Father will answer our prayer, and give us what we have asked Him for if we are praying according to His will. We can know that we are praying according to His will if it lines up with Scripture, or if we are asking to be conformed to the image of His Son; that prayer He will always answer!
Since the Lord began to teach me about expectancy, and I asked Him for a greater measure of faith to actually believe what I am praying, I have seen Him moving in greater ways and asking me to move as well. With expectancy comes movement to see God's dreams fulfilled. William Carey had it right. This is my prayer for us:
God, give us an expectant heart--one that expects to see You come through as You have promised. We walk too reservedly. Help us to walk in a way that shows our expectancy of You to show up!
Rejoicing always, and praying for you,
Jules
We live in a culture that ignores God. It is not so much whether we believe he will come through or not, it is more about how we view God. God to us is the “Happiness Master.” He is certainly not viewed as an all powerful king. When you look at an entertainer, you have a certain expectation. You think, “Well, they made me laugh, but I don’t expect them to provide my needs.” That is not the job of an entertainer. We don’t understand God in his fullness. We have ignored his attributes and what the Word has to say about him.
ReplyDeleteWe must realize that He is the King and Master of our lives. A King has all the power. He can do what he wants because he is a king. An entertainer will lie to you, but a king has no reason to lie. When we understand who God is it is easier to trust him. He is a God that is worthy of all of our praise and trust. You are not just praying to a good idea, but you are praying to a person who hears and cares.
As you go overseas Julie, you must ask. What do I expect God to do through me overseas? What do I expect to see the Holy Spirit do? Don’t go in with a low expectation of what God wants you to do with the Thai people, but go in expecting great things. God wants to change the Thai peoples’ lives more than you will ever understand.
Pray and see what God will do.
Paul expected to see God do some great things!!
1 Cor. 2:4-5
Rom. 15:17-19
I enjoy reading your posts Dennen, always encouraging and challenging. I also Enjoyed the way Elaine made it into this one, there's just something about what she says that sticks with ya.
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