The Spirit of Expectation

By Jenny Thornton

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Expectation: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case. 

Scripture: Isaiah 7:13-14

This is an extraordinary prophecy foretelling Jesus’ birth approximately 700 years earlier. Not only is the time gap mind-boggling (think of someone prophesying about COVID in the 1300s!), but King Ahaz is also an idolatrous king of Judah (2 Kings 16:1-3). Yet Isaiah’s role is to inform Ahaz that Judah will not be wiped out; the house of David will continue. Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, seemingly to show his faith, but Ahaz says that he “will not put the Lord to the test” (Isaiah 7:12). Isaiah then tells Ahaz that the Lord Himself will give him a sign: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” The Lord was telling Ahaz that He was with him in 700BC regardless of his unfaithfulness. He was telling the Jewish people 700 years later that He was with them, through the birth of His Son, regardless of their unfaithfulness. And His Word tells us today, 2000 years later, that He is with us regardless of our unfaithfulness. Just as Ahaz was told to expect deliverance from the armies threatening him, and the Jews were to expect deliverance from their bondage to sin, so we too are to expect to overcome the world through our faith. 1 John 5:4 tells us, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Scripture: Matthew 1: 18-23

Matthew has a very matter-of-fact way of telling an intense drama here. Matthew’s emphasis, throughout his recount of Jesus’ life, is proving to the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah through the fulfillment of so many Old Testament prophecies. Mary’s pregnancy through the Holy Spirit before her marriage to Joseph certainly met the prophecy in Isaiah, though it must have seemed like a literal death sentence at the time, with Jewish law requiring stoning for adultery. Yet God steps in and puts Joseph in the picture: his wife-to-be is going to give birth to the Messiah, she is going to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. Even in this dream, though, God is very clear that what Jesus will be saving people from is their sins, not the conquering of the surrounding nations that the Jews had been expecting their Messiah to do for the last 700 years. 

Scripture: Luke 1:26-33

In Luke’s account, we see the angel Gabriel’s interaction with Mary, who is expecting to marry Joseph soon, in her virginal state. God has other plans, and because of those plans, Mary is “highly favoured” (verses 28 and 30). I’ve heard Mary discussed as a devout young woman, a cut above the rest of us. And she well might have been, but she was still human and sinful; and from Gabriel’s words, it is God who has made her favoured and not she herself. I’m sure Mary would rather not have been favoured, considering the potential scandal that would have led her husband to start divorce proceedings (although this was infinitely preferable to stoning). But the angel goes on to tell her that her son “will be great, the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (verses 32-33).

What an incredible revelation Mary had. I’ve been pregnant five times, and each time I was expecting to have a baby at the end of nine months (that expectation went unfulfilled the first time); however, Mary was expecting not just a baby, but the Messiah, God’s Son and our King. We know that she goes on to accept this calling and glorify God for it (Luke 1:46-56).

I remember such a sense of being able to overcome the world when I was baptised. But 24 years later, I realise that having a faith that overcomes the world involves a lot of tough decisions that test God’s promises to me that everything will work out for the best for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

My husband and I were asked to lead a tiny church in 1998. The church grew quickly for the first few years, and we relished this wonderful church family on the Gold Coast. My husband and I were newlyweds and most people were single, so we baptised mostly singles and then had many weddings and lots of babies, including our own. It also coincided with a lack of growth in our church. I, particularly, struggled to both lead the women and home-school my kids. So, we asked for help from bigger churches. Help finally came, but not in the way we were expecting. After 19 years of leading the church, we stepped down and a young couple from Sydney took over the leadership. Just prior to the new couple’s arrival, we received some extremely helpful and timely advice from an international leader. He said, “The great thing about young leaders is their zeal. Expect their insensitivity as they talk about how the church needs to change and accept it for what it is – part of the zeal.” Rather than reacting to perceived insults, we expected them and let them roll over us. We quickly grew to realise what an incredible blessing having new leadership is to our church, but also to our young adult children as well, as they all grow as disciples.

My pride still likes to rear its ugly head constantly. My experience can feel undervalued and our sacrifices irrelevant, but the spirit of expectation is a powerful thing. Mary accepted and expected her shame knowing that she also expected to be the mother of the Messiah. I can accept and expect my much-less-significant trials, knowing that I expect not only the eternal blessing of going home to be in Heaven with God, but I also expect to keep overcoming my sin and trials in this world through the Holy Spirit.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Having a spirit of expectation means when we go through trials we need to set our heart on our eternal rewards. Knowing your own circumstances, what sort of trials and difficulties should you expect to have and prepare your heart for?
2. What have you learnt about God’s character and/or your own character through these passages today?
3. Is there something in your attitudes toward leadership, other disciples or your circumstances that you need to surrender to God today, and expect Him to work powerfully in?