What Can We Expect?

Is anything too hard for me? Genesis 18:14

Last week during the days of anticipation of the arrival of Hurrican Helene, most people were wondering what can we expect in terms of the effects of this storm. Things like, “Should we expect flooding? Should we expect heavy winds? Should we expect power outages?” We turned to our meteorologists for answers, but how much do they really know? They can follow the radar and try to predict the path of a hurricane, but they can never be 100% accurate in their predictions.

I think Lewis Grizzard had it right when he said that radar isn’t real. What really happens, he said, is that the weather stations have a weather dog. If he comes back wet, the forecast is for rain; if he comes back hot and dry, it’s going to be sunny, and if he doesn’t come back at all, it’s going to be windy!

As it turns out, the storm took a different path than expected, and there was much damage to the northeast of us, and some of the damage is life changing. While the storm was worse than expected for many, the effects of the storm were slightly better than the expectations for others. While some breathe a sigh of relief, most of us have stressed over the outcome.

In our world of today, we live on a “need to know basis”. We think we need to know everything ahead of time in order to control the outcome. We want to know “How? What? When? Where?” even though most of the time there is not one thing we can do to change the outcome. Even after we pray and supposedly turn everything over to God, we still live by the philosophy, “hope for the best and plan for the worst.”

It is interesting that we are perfectly content to put our money in the bank and expect the institution to take care of it, but we are hesitant to trust God in the every day things of life. We are hesitant to trust the God whose track record speaks for itself, whose faithfulness never fails, and who has earned the right to ask, “Is anything too hard for me?”

What then, should we expect of God? First, we should expect to be strengthened through trials. As the scipture says “All things work for good for those who love the Lord.” Secondly, we should expect to see and know the glory of God. Next, we can expect to know His love that is poured in and out of us. Finally, we should expect to be delivered from the sin that grips us when we trust in the Lord.

On the other hand, what does God expect of us? According to the Bible, God expects us to do justice. In other words, we should treat others fairly and respectfully, and not mistreat or oppress them. Next, God expects us to love kindness. He expects us to help those in need such as the poor, downtrodden, and hurting. Finally, God expects us to walk humbly with him. This includes thinking less about ourselves and more about others, and being more of a listener rather than a talker.

The aftermath of a storm is sometimes worse than the storm itself. As I heard a man say lately, “The damage is much worse in the light of day than it was during the dark of night.” What can we expect in this life? I think we can expect that no matter what we face in the life, God has a plan. There is a purpose for every storm and every struggle. He has promised that everything we endure will work together for good.

Our prayers this day are for the many who have experienced the damage of Helene. This thought by Dr. Wayne Dyer can help us expect the best of each day.

“Every morning when you awake you have been given the gift of a sunrise and twenty four hours to live. This is a precious gift. You have the wonderful opportunity to take this day and live joyously with apprecition for everything you encounter. Take in a deep breath and be grateful for this exhilerating experience of breathing in life and love.”