Scripture:

“But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, ‘Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.’

Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.” Luke 24:1-12 (NLT)

Perspective:

Jesus was crucified, laid in a tomb, and the disciples thought it was over. They had just committed the past three years to following this man who was no longer there to lead them. A group of women who had been followers of Jesus went to care for Jesus’ body after his death. Yet, when they arrived at the tomb, something very different occurred; they received news that He had risen. While Jesus had told them this information before His death, it just didn’t initially seem possible. However, the news was too good to keep to themselves. When they shared it with the disciples, the disciples chose not to believe. They had thought Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom and deliver the Jews from Roman rule. Their expectations of Jesus were wrong. When Jesus didn’t meet their expectations, they were confused. What was God doing? They thought God was going to work one way, and when He choose to work a different way, they were puzzled. The alignment of their expectations and experience were different. So, when Peter showed up at the tomb after Jesus had risen, he couldn’t quite reconcile it in his heart and mind. He went from thinking Jesus would have an earthly rule to seeing him brutally treated and crucified on the cross. It just hadn’t turned out quite like he had hoped. Now, he was faced with an empty tomb and lots of questions. Later, Peter would come to realize that Jesus was true to His Word. While He didn’t meet Peter’s expectations, Jesus actually exceeded them.

 

In our lives, we can face situations where we experience unmet expectations. We are hoping for God to give us answers in our finances, our faith, our family, or our careers. Maybe we thought a relationship would move forward and it didn’t or our job would change and it didn’t. Sometimes we can face disappointment when life just doesn’t go as we expected. Then, when things don’t quite turn out like we anticipated, we can have a lot of questions. So, what do we do when we face unmet expectations? Do we stop believing God, or do we press a little closer to see what God is actually doing? One thing Peter learned is that God is true to His Word; sometimes the answer comes in a different way than we had hoped. When we step back from our unmet expectations, we begin to see how God is working in the totality of our lives. In choosing to believe God in the midst of wrestling with our expectations, we come to realize that we have to place our expectations in Jesus, not in the answers. And if you are attentive to what He is doing and don’t lose heart, you are setting yourself up to experience the exceeding of your expectations and desires.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

 

 

 

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