Surrendering Unrealistic Summer Expectations
Your Nightly Prayer
By Clarence Haynes
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” – James 4:13-14
SOMETHING TO PONDER
In the summer of 2012, I had my plans all set. I had been working for a company for the past 12 years, but I was getting a little tired of my job and ready for a transition. Not wanting to make a sudden change, my plan was to work for one more year and then look for another job. However, those plans all changed on Monday, July 16. On this day, there was a conference call with about 100 employees. They made a big announcement: “As of Friday of this week, you will no longer have a job. Here is HR.” In an instant, every plan I made was immediately affected. Instead of working there one more year, I would be there only four more days. I distinctly remember one woman on the call who was crying because she was six months pregnant and was out of sorts over what she was going to do. So much for expectations, as all our plans shifted that day.
Expectations are a part of life. In fact, life would be incredibly boring without them. However, the challenge of expectations is that we don’t control the outcomes because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. This is exactly what James reminds us of in these verses. As much as you plan, strive, and prepare for your future (even your expectations), you just don’t know what is around the corner for this day or this season of life. That’s why I like what James tells us after these two verses. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15
That, my friend, is where your expectations should lie. Not in your hopes and dreams, even though there is nothing wrong with them. Again, it would be weird if you didn’t dream. However, your expectations should be wrapped in the comfort of God’s will for your life, knowing that he is the one ordering your steps, anyway. So, the next time you sit down to plan, don’t begin with what you want or desire. Begin with what God wants for your life and then shape your expectations around his. This won’t alleviate the challenges, but it will give you the correct perspective as you walk through life.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Lord,
I come to you with all my hopes, dreams, and expectations. I thank you, I have them, and yet I don’t want to force my expectations into your will for my life. I surrender all of my desires to you and seek your desires for my life. Help me align everything I desire with everything you desire for me. Let it be that your will for my life is the driving factor, and give me peace to know that I don’t have to fight to make your will happen; I simply need to walk in obedience to you. Let this be the hope and rest I need to become who you want me to be so I can do what you have called me to do.
I pray all this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
- Striving harder to achieve what God never called you to do is a fruitless exercise.
- Walking in God’s purpose for your life may not always be the easiest road, but it will be the most fulfilling.
- The greatest satisfaction in life is not when you accomplish what you set out to do, but when you accomplish what God has planned for you to do.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Benjamin Voros
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.
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