What to Expect When You’re Expecting
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Faith is not an instinct. It is certainly not a feeling. It is an act of will,
a choice based on the unbreakable Word of God who cannot lie. --Elisabeth Elliot
Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
Have you ever said “don’t get your hopes up”? Or even more personally, “I don’t want to get my hopes up”? As a mother, I confess I’ve used this phrase a few times when my kids were begging me to do something that I knew had little or no likelihood of happening.
“Mom, can we go swimming today?”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Can we go to Disney World this summer?”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Mom, are you making dinner tonight?”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
Just out of curiosity, I looked up the phrase in the free dictionary of idioms (yes, there is such a thing). The definition is “to avoid becoming excited at the prospect of something good happening in the future.” Now as a mother, I used that phrase as a way to soften the blow. Instead of just coming right out and saying, “The likelihood of me cooking with real food that has nutritious value after working 10 hours and driving all 3 of you to theatre rehearsals, dance, and guitar lessons are slim to none,” I say “don’t get your hopes up” because even though it is unlikely, it is not impossible.
Then out of nowhere one day as I was praying, I heard the voice in my head whisper those words that I said a hundred times to my children, “Don’t get your hopes up.” It stopped me mid-sentence. I knew immediately those words were not from God, yet that is the attitude I expressed and authenticated. Instead of “amen,” I heard a resounding “don’t get your hopes up.”
How many times have I been reluctant or afraid to believe God for something because I didn’t want to get my hopes up? It is safer to pray without any real confidence because I don’t have to worry about being disappointed if God’s answer doesn’t match up with my expectation. And on that slim chance that he does the impossible, I have no place to go but up! If that is my assessment of prayer, then why do I even bother wasting my time and God’s if I’m not sure He is able or willing to answer?
I’ve Got My Hope Set High
Going back to the idiom dictionary defining that all-too-often used phrase, I realized what a contrast that definition is to the very concept of faith and trust in God. What kind of “good news” would the gospel be if our slogan was “Come to Jesus: But Don’t Get Your Hopes Up”? What kind of hope would we have if after every altar call, we confessed, “We are so happy for everyone who gave their lives to Jesus today. Oh, we forgot to mention one little thing: don’t get excited or expect anything good to happen in your future.” I know that seems ludicrous, but that is exactly what we are saying when we pray with little or no expectation for God to move in our situation. Praying without expectation is really a lack of confidence in the goodness and sovereignty of God.
Explanation to Declaration
When I’m trying to navigate through difficult times, I often find myself turning to the life of David for guidance. Psalms 62 is one of those instances where David is fighting trouble from all sides—being bombarded without any sign of letting up. David cries out, “I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” What I love about this Psalm is how David doesn’t complain about his circumstances. He doesn’t ask God for anything. He spends this entire Psalm declaring his confidence and trust in God. In verse 5, he shifts his words from an explanation to others (I am at rest in God alone) to a declaration for himself (Rest in God alone, my soul). David confesses that his soul is at rest in God alone—he reveals the state of his soul. But sometimes the ebb and flow of life can cause our focus to be pulled away. This is why David speaks to his soul, reminding it to stay planted in that place of presence. David’s expectation was fixed on the goodness and power of God—for my hope comes from him.
Wait—did David say “my hope”? If David declares that his hope comes from God and he will not be shaken, then his version of hope must be vastly different than my understanding. This doesn’t sound like a hope that is ambiguous or hazy. It doesn’t even sound like a hope that is risky or unpredictable. This hope sounds like something that is firm and unshakable—a foundation that cannot be diminished or destroyed.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
I searched for the Hebrew meaning of the word “hope” in this context, and what I discovered was powerful. The word for hope is Tikvah. It literally means “expectation or a cord or rope.” It gets even better. The first time the word is used in the Bible is the story of Rahab and the walls of Jericho. God promised to deliver Jericho to the Israelites. Joshua sent two spies into the city to gather information, and they came to the house of Rahab. When the King discovered that there were two Israelite spies in town and that they were seen entering Rahab’s house, he ordered her to surrender them. Rahab did something that she had no guarantee would turn out to her good. She hid them and sent the King’s soldiers on the Old Testament version of a wild goose chase.
I don’t know what was going through Rahab’s mind when she made this decision, but I do know that she heard about the God of Israel. She heard about the way He dried up the Red Sea so His people could cross on dry ground. She heard how He had utterly destroyed anyone who stood in their path. And maybe, just maybe, she thought, “What do I have to lose? I may end up disappointed and my family destroyed, or maybe the impossible will happen, and this God of the Israelites will save me too.” It sounds a lot like a scripture, “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen” (Hebrews 11:1 TPT). And how do I know this? Because 30 verses later, the writer of Hebrews applauds Rahab for her faith. She had the spiritual vision to see good things happening for her and her family in the future—she had an expectation. She spoke to her soul reminding it to hope in this God of Israel.
Let me tell you where the word Tikvah comes into the story. Joshua 2:11 shows the desperation of Rahab’s heart, “When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you...” Rahab knows she is at rock bottom; she is at the end of her rope... That is exactly where the word Tikvah comes in. Rahab found hope at the end of her rope. The spies make a covenant with Rahab: We will spare you and your family as long as you all stay put in your house and tie the scarlet cord to the window where you let us down. The scarlet cord was Rahab’s hope—her only guarantee that her family would be saved. It represented a covenant promise between God and Rahab. Notice that the fulfillment of this covenant, this hope, was not instantaneous. Rahab had to wait.
This word Tikvah appears throughout the Bible. It is what God refers to when He declares in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you...” He promises to give us “a future and a Tikvah.” It shows up in Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our Tikvah without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Esther Kuhn of the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries explains Tikvah in this way: “We almost can’t meditate on the subject of hope without coupling it with faith. If hope looks to the future towards something better, then faith knows that it is done! ...Tikvah in Hebrew is a hope that does not disappoint.”
Challenge for the Day
Ask yourself this question: Do I really believe that God is able and willing to answer my prayers and to move in my situation? James 1:6-7 says, “But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
If you are afraid to get your hopes up, be honest with God. There is a story in Mark 9 where a father brings his son who is tortured by a spirit to Jesus to be healed. The father pleads, “Have mercy on us and help us if you can.” Jesus doesn’t dismiss him because of his lack of faith. Jesus gently assures him, “If I can? Anything is possible if a person believes.” And that father does the most honest, beautiful thing: he confesses, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Be honest with God, speak Tikvah to your soul (I do believe), and watch what Jesus will do.
Make yourself a visual reminder of the hope that does not disappoint. For Rahab it was the scarlet cord. Maybe for you it is as simple as taking a colored index card and follow David’s lead. Write down some truths declaring your trust and confidence in God. If you are not sure how to begin, make David’s words in Psalms 62 your own. Speak them out loud as a reminder of God’s covenant every day.
Expect God to Move. Sometimes we live with low expectations. We have been disappointed so many times that we are afraid to hope. God does not want us to live that way. We reason that if we don’t expect, hope, anticipate good things in our lives, then we won’t be disappointed. Anything good that happens is just an added bonus. Jesus came that we would have life to the fullest. That doesn’t mean that we won’t have troubles or challenges, but it does mean that those trials are not the end of the story. God is good, and if the story isn’t good, it isn’t finished yet.
Let me leave you with one last thought: Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for His miraculous power constantly energizes you. (Ephesians 3:20 TPT)
Until next time—Dive Deep and Drown Willingly
