Expectation is the breeding ground for miracles. When we pray in faith, with expectation, God's amazing handiwork begins to happen all around us.
Faith and expectation are often synonomous. Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, "According to your faith (expectations) so let it be done unto you." Today I want us to dig down deep and do an inventory of the level of our faith. Just as Jabez, a character we know little about other than that he pleased God, prayed a very specific prayer, let's articulate our expectations of God as we draw close to the end of our 21 days of Pursuit.
TAKE A MOMENT - Write down what you are expecting God to do in the next season of your life. Start with immediate expectations and then move on to a 5 year plan. As you write these down, your faith will begin to rally around a clear and concise, articulated vision of what you are believing God fo. Your expectation will become your prayer burden and the seeds of your prayer will begin the process of creating your future harvest. Obviously, all of our goals and desires must be in alignment with the word and will of God or they will just be futile fantasies. I believe by this time in your PURSUIT journey, you are hearing clearly and praying accurately, so don't be afraid to dream big and expect great things from God! Our expectation becomes our request which will become our life's story!
Using the prayer of Jabez' as a guide from the fourth chapter of First Chronicles. Here are four areas where you can expect God's best, and then you can branch out into specific prayer requests and personalized visions for your future.
1. EXPECT GOD TO BLESS YOU AND INCREASE HIS FAVOR ON YOUR LIFE
1 Chronicles 4:10 "Oh, that you would bless me. . . "
It is not selfish to ask for God's blessings on your life. Daily my prayer is that God would increase His favor on my life, and to increase my faith to see that it is He who is doing it. God desires to give blessings to us, just as a father longs to give good gifts to his children. When favor comes into your life, doors open faster, connections happen that bring increase, and opportunities arrive without stress or opposition. Favor is a gift that we can ask for and position our lives to receive.
2. EXPECT GOD TO INCREASE YOUR INFLUENCE AND YOUR "TERRITORY"
1 Chronicles 4:10 ". . . that you would enlarge my territory. . ."
Pray this over your finances, your busin. ess ventures, your home and your church. We are asking God for more influence in our community, more territory where the Kingdom of God has come, and His will is being done. When individually we experience increase, His Kingdom is increased when we are yielded to His will.
3. EXPECT GOD TO GIVE YOU GUIDANCE AND CLARITY FOR THE FUTURE
1 Chronicles 4:10 ". . .and that your hand would be with me."
"God's hand" speaks of His guidance and His direction. Sometimes He leads, other times He points and ask us to take a step of faith. Believe that God is going to give you specific, detailed, and clear guidance as you take some big faith steps into the future. Someone once said, "You can't steer a parked car." Let's move forward in expectancy as God guides us into the future.
4. EXPECT GOD TO KEEP YOU FROM TEMPTATION, SIN AND FAILURE
1 Chronicles 4:10 ". . . That you would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me."
Jabez was not asking for a trouble-free world but simply was praying a form of prayer that Jesus would teach His disciples nearly 1000 years later. . . "and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). Perhaps Jabez intuitively knew that with prosperity and favor comes temptation and persecution, so he is asking for protection in advance. Pray for God's protection and covering on your life.
As you pray these things, be sure to align your expectations with the Word of God, trust God's timing to fulfill them, and then wait in faith until. This is the life of expectancy that produces results.
MEMORY VERSE - "None of those who expectantly wait for you will be ashamed." Psalm 25:3
PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Today, I would encourage you to split up your prayer time into four or five section, similar to the way Pastor Thompson suggested this past Sunday, but with expectation at the core.
- Start with thanksgiving and worship - Spend time just loving Jesus.
- Journal your expectations and what you are believing God for right now, and for the next season of your life. Don't be afraid to believe for big dreams from God, far bigger than you've ever considered before - let the Spirit of God move upon you with faith.
- Build your request on the Word! If you have time you may want to find some key verses in the Bible that back up your request. This adds faith and clarity to your petitions. As you as pray don't be afraid to remind God, "Lord your Word says. . ."
- Speak out your future - This is where we, by faith, begin to ask boldly and declare clearly what God is going to do in the future. Let your expectations of a faith-filled future turn into sound waves that have potential to create a spiritual reality - exercise the power of the spoken Word.
- End with worship. . . Thank God in advance for what He is going to do in the days to come. . . then go and have a powerful day filled with expectation!
Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.
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