Around this time of year there a lot of memes about asking God if either the person is on the strongest list of soldiers in the next year or to ask if they may be taken off that list. It is clear 2023 has been a very difficult year for so many and they want 2024 to come with the exceeding and abundant blessings the Excellent Book talks about. Will we get it?
From my own life my testimony especially in this year that God graced me to reach the 4th floor, it is clear life does not go how you expect. Is it a good thing? I’ll answer this shortly. If I look at my life from when I was small, if I was to be asked has it gone how I expected. The answer would be no. Lets start with would I have expected to be raised in a single parent family, no. Go to my dad’s funeral at the age of 6 following his brutal murder, no? lose my paternal grandmother 3 years later, no. Lose the only grandmother I ever had a relationship with in my early 30s, no. Lose my cousin who I knew from before I could speak, no. Not meet my timeline of when to get married and have kids, no. Change careers, no. Have a chronic illness, no. Have issues to work through as I do in therapy and most of all with my Creator and Heavenly father, no.
What I know is I am not the only one whose life has gone far from their expectations. My testimony is that these clear negatives and evil, have propelled me to the path I am on and the person I am growing to be. God knows how to turn any negative and what was meant for evil, for your good. Hallelujah! So, the answer to the question is it a good thing that life doesn’t go as you expect is, Yes. Would I have known this before all these things happened? Not a chance! Even if I trusted God fully, I still wouldn’t have known how my life would have turned out. In fact, we all need to be singing the “Mary Did you Know” song, with Mary’s name substituted with our own name. “Tracy Did you know?” Not at all! Gabriel didn’t tell me.
In this year that hasn’t gone like I wanted and expected, I have seen God do so many things that I can’t even list. I have seen him bring out a boldness in me that I did not know I had. I have gone beyond my comfort zone with no hesitation or second thought, to grow in my 2nd career. God has taught me how to look at rejection not in a healthy way but in a spiritual way.
“God has seen something you haven’t seen” comforts me and doesn’t allow me to look at rejection as a personal attack or a deficiency in my character or abilities. Rejection has nothing to do with me, but God makes it to do with me in that he wants better for me. I really believe that. With this kind of thinking, I am moving with more peace and acceptance where I know previously, I would have been in tears. I also accept its ok to have days that look like you haven’t learnt the lesson and on those days, God is still with me and has compassion for me.
I have also seen God open doors after he has worked on my mindset. Was he waiting for me to change when all the while I was waiting for him to change my situation? God works in mysterious ways but it’s a perfect way. Again, at the time, it doesn’t feel like it or look like it and I don’t think it will until we get to that place where we can really believe that “God has seen something you can’t see” But what if it’s a different situation like loss of a loved one. How can that possibly be “God has seen something you can’t see”.
Here is where I switch to the hope of Jesus the Resurrection and the Life, the one who WILL raise our loved ones first! Then we shall weep no more. This is the Truth that will happen as the Excellent Book has Promised. So even in death, I know Jesus is who I will look to because not even death can defeat him.
The lesson with expectations is not to have any in yourself, your circle, your situation or this world. You are guaranteed to be disappointed. When you have a friend and saviour like Jesus you need to have expectations in Him. This is where your peace, comfort and lightened yoke will come from. During this festive season, Jesus story is prominent and it highlights the danger of expectations not in God. The Jews were oppressed and were expecting a superhero to deliver them from the roman rule. Based on this they rejected him and missed out. Expectations according to what’s in your head, will make you miss out.
This Messiah was born and to a virgin at that! He was God yet didn’t come down in flashy, chariots of fire like the ones that took Elijah, a mere mortal, to heaven. He didn’t descend the way he ascended. He was born through the process of labour, just like all these 7+ billion humans of the world. He was not born in some royal hospital like prince George. He wasn’t attended to by any royal nurses. He was born in a manger! Where animals are kept meaning the place is not sanitised or beautifully scented. What I am realising is many of us were born in better conditions than Jesus. The Messiah was known to be unapologetic about being with his father at the age of 12. For 3 days his parents couldn’t find him because he was in the temple.
The expectation for the Messiah was not for him to have parents. So many times, his identity was denied because they knew him as the son of Joseph and Mary. On top of that he was known for being a carpenter! How can a carpenter be the Messiah! The Messiah was God sent, so how is it, he never really had a fixed address in some palace unattainable to most, because of tight security. One time he was sleeping on a boat. Not the inside deck of a luxurious Yacht, just the outer part of the boat.
This Messiah used to walk from place to place. No long convoy of horses/donkeys or cars like they do in my country when government officials are passing by, probably the only thing they’ve done that day. This Messiah was baptised by his cousin! The Messiah was taken to the desert to be tempted by the devil. How is the one sent from God being subjected to the devils’ plots.
Then the expectations continue to be crushed down. The Messiah walks with 12 men who in this day in age would Never be nominated as a greeter let alone a deacon, elder or pastor! The Messiah hangout with the untouchables or outcasts. How is the one sent from God, hanging out with “pure” sinners?! When the Messiah did ride on something, he rode on a colt, nothing fancy. The hooves were not placed in pure Gold, the cloth that he sat on was probably not purple or Egyptian cotton as we know it.
Then the Messiah is arrested and killed for many reasons and none at the same time. He was calling himself the Son of God. He was doing miracles that made some think he had to be working with the devil. His own family thought he had lost his mind and didn’t believe him. In fact, many didn’t believe him and instead of going on with their business, they decided to kill him after torturing, spitting, mocking and whipping him etc.
The life of the Messiah was not as expected. They thought they killed him then on the 3rd day he woke up like nothing had happened but something Great had happened. We now have the hope that keeps us going when you’ve been 2023’d, that this will All Pass! One day, Jesus will come and all these struggles, cost of living, mental health issues, family disputes and discord and loss of loved ones will all be Gone!
The life of the Messiah was not as expected. He was not flashy, instead he was washing his disciples’ feet! But here is the best part about this story of Jesus, He is glorified forever and ever and is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as a result of this unexpected life, that he lived out of love for us all. His life was full of unfairness and injustice BUT he is glorified already, and every knee will bow.
This being the life of our friend Jesus, a life full of unexpected things, great injustices which for any human being would be traumatic, shows that however life goes, if God is part of it, it can only end with victory. Don’t be surprised if 2024 ends up in a way you didn’t expect. Friends, family, colleagues, business opportunities, health, life, work, the economy, spouses may disappoint you. Don’t be surprised if 2024 brings events like the life of your saviour. Its not personal. The devil doesn’t like anyone who stands for Jesus. So same way he came for Jesus, he WILL come for you. What God expects of you is to take all those things to him in prayer in 2024, Believing that he will work it out.
The Excellent Book says Do not be afraid 365 times many sermons say. One for each day. My encouragement is take that word. You have already survived so much through the Grace of God. He never leaves us and never forsakes us so in 2024 what we should expect is that the same way he has delivered us from the many troubles of our lives, he will deliver us from those that may come in 2024, because he has delivered us from the Greatest Trouble when Jesus died for us. Hallelujah! So do not be afraid in 2024. Boldly expect that God is with you, he will Help you, Strengthen you and Uphold you with his Victorious right hand. If he can deliver us from the Greatest Trouble we were to have, what is 2024! That is what you should expect in 2024. A God who will deliver you come what may because he has Already delivered you.
If our troubles follow the life of Jesus in some small, miniscule way, in terms of trouble, because we have chosen to believe in him, please also know that if his life is glorified, I can boldly say that in Jesus name, whatever happens to you in 2024, for your faith, even if its mustard seed size, you WILL receive your crown when All this will pass.
Am I going into 2024 all doom and gloom that my life will just follow the negatives of Jesus life? No. I am going knowing, though I may end up in the fire, again, He is always with me, asks me to cast my burdens on to him and asks me to take his yoke which is lighter. I am going with the expectation, not in my abilities, not in my friends/families/connections’ abilities,. I am going with the expectation that Nothing is too hard for God in 2024.
From this is where we will indeed get those abundant and exceeding blessings, but it will be in God’s own way, because his ways are higher than ours and he is always working for our Good. Just as I've never been able to see things work out as they have, I need to trust that he will make a way especially in those times when it looks far and opposite from it. This is my 2023 testimony. Trust, believe and surrender in his higher ways and those bolted doors, He will open for you because he loves you. This is my encouragement to you and I trust and believe that you will have your own slogan for 2024, that in short says God is Good, God is Great, God is Ultimately the Best.
Wishing you a Blessed, Peaceful, Joyful Christmas.
Related Verses
Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 3:20-21, 2 Corinthians 12:9,10, Genesis 50:20, Romans 12:2 John 11:25-26, Matthew 11:28-30, Philippians 2:9-11, 1 Peter 5:8-10, Matthew 10:22
Genesis 18:14, Psalm 55:22, Isaiah 55:8–9, 2 Timothy 4:8, The Gospels
Share spread
please share with anyone who may need encouragement.
Subscribe to get alerts when the next testimony is out
Next Post out on 30/12/2023
Other Ways To Support
1. Follow me on my IG click below
2. For your physical health click below to follow me @tracythehealthcoach
Comments