Mark 11:1-14; 1 Kings 1; Hosea 4:11-5:4

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:10 NKJV)

The people had great expectations of Jesus. In the Old Testament reading we saw Solomon furthering the Kingdom of David – a kingdom that also came with great expectations. Solomon did many great things, which are recorded in the Bible. There are also indications that he was oppressive, as noted in the way Jereboam led the ten tribes of Israel to break away from Judah and form their own kingdom. The expectations for Solomon’s reign were unfulfilled. The crowd had expectations for Jesus, also. They expected Jesus, as Messiah, to wipe out the Romans and restore the kingdom of David. Jesus didn’t meet those expectations, but through His death and resurrection, He surpassed them as He made known the Kingdom of God.

I’ve had a lot of expectations from life through the years. Sometimes those expectations weren’t met because I didn’t do what I was supposed to. Sometimes my expectations weren’t fulfilled because God had a better plan than I did. One of my personal problems is that I seek to judge my life on whether or not I’ve met the expectations that I had for myself, rather than experiencing joy in living in God’s plan. The question isn’t whether or not we’ve met our own expectations in life; the question is whether we’ll allow God to show us a life greater than our own expectations. When we do that, we’ll experience the greatest joy possible. Expect it.

Lord, help me put my expectations aside and seek Your desires. Let me live, expecting You to know and do what’s best. Let me experience joy in fulfilling the expectations You have for me, knowing they are far better than my own expectations.