There is no greater contributor to depression, disillusionment and despair than unmet expectations. Unfortunately, we make plans for our lives without consulting God and end up pursuing things that God never desired for us. These things may not be sinful, in and of themselves, but for some of us, they may become sin because they are not God's purpose for us. How often do we see the Israelites inquire of God and meet success, only to forget to inquire of God later and meet with disaster?
I am reminded of the story of Joshua being tricked by the Gibeonites. When Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, he was commanded by God to utterly destroy all the nations in the land. God specifically instructed Joshua to not make a treaty with his neighbors. The Gibeonites disguised themselves as travelers from a far off land and asked Joshua to make a pact with them that they would serve Israel and live in peace. Joshua agreed to the terms of the treaty but never consulted God on the matter. Had Joshua consulted God, he would have known that the Gibeonites were deceiving him and he would have destroyed them as God originally commanded. Instead, Joshua made a hasty covenant with a sinful nation and Israel paid the price for it's disobedience, for many years to come.
When we make plans without God's guidance, we risk living in opposition to God. God will not bless our opposition and we find ourselves unfulfilled and joyless. This is when we experience the agony of unmet expectations. No one enjoys the reality of things not going their way. In fact, this reality can be debilitating.
How can we avoid this? Mathew 6:33. If we truly seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, we will be walking with God, experiencing His blessing and enablement. Joy, peace, well being and spiritual fulfillment will be the result of seeking God's plan. When we do things God's way, we can't lose and we will have the assurance of being in His will and under His protection.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God!
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