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Reference

John 11:1-45

The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Spiritual disappointment

  • You face a challenge
  • You offer an honest prayer
  • You develop an expectation of what God should do
  • God doesn’t meet it
  • You are disappointed

This happens to Mary and Martha as well in John 11.

  • Everyone expects Jesus to come to heal him
  • But Jesus did not show up
  • Jesus was late

But God shows us that he may not meet our expectations, because he works beyond all expectations.

  • By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed that God’s work is not limited by what we expect him to do.
  • And by raising Lazarus, his disciples, Mary and Martha believed in Him - that He is the resurrection and the life.
  • And through all these, God brought glory out of a seemingly impossible, unredeemable situation.

And today, we can take heart when we are going through the same tough, seemingly unredeemable situation:

  • God may not meet our expectations, but God works beyond all expectations.
  • We can trust him

And in the meantime, we can pray to God with an open-heart, and wait for God with an open-mind.

  • Open-heart: honest, sincerely lift up to God your prayer
  • Open-mind: Expect God to work beyond your expectations