“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”
Jesus, the head of the body we form, willingly went to the cross and was crucified for us. He took on all the risk forgoing any need of His own, or comfort, and without complaint.
We in the natural could be accused possibly of settling for comfort and avoiding pain and risk. Pursuing our own needs and making complaints as grumbles much of the time.
How much is following for what we can get to fulfilment of bodily needs of our own rather than what He has need of us for?
“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
How often do we pray to God’s back because we are asking Him to change things to our expectations?
He faces us when we ask Him to change us because we discern that we do not live up to His ways.
Jesus fulfilled and lived up to all the prophesies and expectations that preceded Him. He still does.
The time of pretence has run out. Delay has been and now is our time to tie our colours to the mast and come out of safety to risk all.
We have to live through the circumstances in our journey to fully perceive and comprehend.
We can’t ask for a miracle without knowing what a reality of this world has been. We can’t ask for restoration without knowing fully what is broken and fallen. We can’t ask for forgiveness without fully understanding sin and failures.
What we call bad timing may well be the result of some delay that Jesus has orchestrated.
When Jesus responds with delay it is because He knows that in the space it is not a denial of His love but because He wants us to be reinforced by our faith, our trust and our witnessing God’s glory in its fullness.
When we are left waiting we rely not on our own faith but we have to align with His faith.
The story of Lazarus comes to mind. We know how much Jesus loved all those involved yet He delayed four days answering their needs.
They had no natural trust or reason to believe in the best outcome by then. Only their belief and witness of Jesus raising Lazarus fully revealed God’s full glory.
What we know of Him is how we gain the faith for His miracles, wonders and ways. We sometimes need to participate in the changes that go on inside us.
When we set our expectations high we do not limit Him. We do limit Him when our expectations are low. We must expect to receive.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”
He comes to each individually but also corporately as a body when our expectation is limitless not when we are moaning, distrusting or faint in faith and ‘maybes’.
The power of the Lord being present to change things when there is expectancy. What is declared or asked for is done and corporate expectation is raised.
“On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.”
We seek and advance His kingdom living expectantly. We submit to what He does within us. Redefining is happening daily.
We cannot advance the kingdom truth if we do not understand it and live it.
Only truth will stand in the end The truth will set you free.
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
The illustration shows the balance of our faith expectations in the cross, the word, our prayer. The light that emanates from these pushing back the darkness.
Five Scriptures that come to mind:
“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:1-3 ESV
“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” John 6:26-27 ESV
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 ESV
“On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.” Luke 5:17 ESV
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 ESV
The song Jesus People. Danny Gokey
Lessisgreater 