Expectations: Trusting God and Making His Love Known

Devotional

Day 1: Holding Expectations with Open Hands This Year

New years awaken both possibility and pressure. Hopes for better habits, calmer homes, and brighter days can lift the heart—and also set us up for disappointment when life swerves. Healthy expectations are named, shared, and rooted in what God has actually promised, not in what we wish others could read from our minds. As you look ahead, place your expectations where they belong: in God’s steady character and faithful presence. Communicate clearly with people, but entrust outcomes to the One who knows your frame and loves you. Welcome the year with open hands rather than clenched fists, ready to receive whatever good God chooses to give. [02:18]

Psalm 27:14 — Wait on the Lord; let courage brace your heart, and keep watching with confident hope for him to act.

Reflection: What is one specific expectation you’re carrying into this year that you will intentionally hold before God with open hands, and with whom do you need to gently communicate it?

Day 2: Faithful Expectation: Learning from David and Goliath

David faced the giant with memory and expectancy. He remembered God’s help with the lion and the bear, and that history shaped his confidence for today’s battle. He didn’t trust his resume; he trusted the Lord who had rescued him before and was leading him now. In the same way, you can face what looms ahead by recalling God’s faithfulness and stepping in obedience to what he is prompting today. Expect him to meet you where he sends you, and give him the glory for the victory he provides. [03:06]

1 Samuel 17:32–37 — David told Saul, “Don’t be discouraged; I’ll confront this Philistine.” Saul objected that David was too young and Goliath a seasoned warrior. David answered that, as a shepherd, he had chased down predators and, with God’s help, struck them and rescued the sheep. He concluded, “The Lord who delivered me then will deliver me now.” Saul agreed at last: “Go—and may the Lord’s presence go with you.”

Reflection: What “lion and bear” stories from your past could you rehearse this week to strengthen your expectation for the specific challenge staring you down now?

Day 3: Pray Your Expectations; Surrender Your Outcomes

Bring your expectations into prayer, early and often. Like the psalmist who laid requests before God and watched for his movement, you can name your hopes plainly and then watch with trust. Prayer is not pushing buttons on a cosmic dispenser; it is communion with the Father whose wisdom and love guide the answer. Jesus shows the way in Gethsemane—asking boldly for the cup to pass, yet yielding completely to the Father’s will. Hold your requests firmly enough to be honest, and loosely enough to obey whatever God decides. Waiting with surrender is not passivity; it is courage anchored in God’s character. [04:12]

Matthew 26:39 — He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed, “Father, if another way is possible, spare me this cup; still, I choose your will over mine.”

Reflection: Where do you sense a tug-of-war between what you want and what God may be asking, and what simple prayer of surrender could you voice each morning this week?

Day 4: Loved First, Sent to Love Our Neighbors

God’s expectation is clear and compelling: love him wholeheartedly and love people tangibly. It is simple to say and complex to live, especially with those who are difficult, uninterested, or different. Because we are loved first, we can move toward others without fear, offering presence, patience, and the hope we carry. You don’t need a platform; you need a posture—available, attentive, and willing. Let the Spirit expand your circle beyond what feels safe and easy, and let grace set the tone. As you receive God’s love afresh, look for one neighbor to whom you can make that love known today. [02:47]

Matthew 22:37–39 — Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all you are—heart, soul, and mind. And the next command is like it: love your neighbor with the same care you show yourself.”

Reflection: Identify one person outside your Christian circle who needs a concrete expression of love—what small, specific act will you offer them this week?

Day 5: Invest What God Entrusts: Share the Gospel

Jesus’ story of the bags of gold is about trust and stewardship. The Master places resources, relationships, time, and gospel opportunity in our hands and expects multiplication, not burial. Some will carry five-bag capacity, others two or one; all are invited to faithfulness. Start where you are: offer your story, your listening ear, your prayer, your invitation. Love always risks, but obedience is its own reward, and sometimes it plants seeds that bloom into salvation. Step into 2026 ready to invest what he’s entrusted, believing he delights to produce more than you could imagine. [03:30]

Matthew 25:14–30 — A master traveled and entrusted his wealth to three servants according to their ability. Two put it to work and doubled the trust, and the master celebrated their faithfulness and welcomed them into his joy. The third, driven by fear, buried his share and returned only what he’d received; the master rebuked his laziness, took away the unused trust, and warned that what isn’t invested is lost. The message is clear: what the Master gives is meant to be used, not hidden.

Reflection: What one gospel-investment will you make in the next seven days—naming the person, the time, and the form (story, prayer, invitation, or service)—so that what God has placed in you does not stay buried?

Sermon Summary

Coming out of Christmas and heading into a brand-new year, we carry a lot of expectations—about gifts, family, photos, resolutions, and our own self-discipline. I shared how my own expectations for the past year were upended by sudden loss and change, and how quickly “normal” can evaporate. Expectations aren’t bad, but they can be heavy when they’re misplaced, unspoken, or unrealistic. So we named a few ground rules: be careful placing expectations on others; communicate them; keep them realistic—within someone’s abilities and character.

From there we looked at expectations for God and God’s expectations for us. Expectation, in the biblical sense, looks a lot like faith—anchored in who God is and what he’s promised. David faced Goliath expectantly because he remembered God’s past faithfulness and walked closely with him. The Psalms teach us to pray in the morning and wait expectantly, but with open hands. God is not a vending machine; Jesus himself prayed, “yet not as I will, but as you will.” So we pray specifically, grounded in promises, and surrendered to his timing and ways. As a church, we ask God weekly to move among us, anticipating his nearness because he has shown up again and again.

Then we turned to God’s expectations for us: love God with all we are, and love our neighbor as ourselves. That’s simple to say and complex to live. Jesus’ parable of the talents reframes our “bags of gold” as the grace, truth, experiences, and opportunities he’s entrusted to us for the sake of others. The point isn’t to hoard what we’ve received but to put it to work—sharing the good news in real relationships, appropriate to our season and capacity. Some of us have deep wells to draw from; others are just beginning. Either way, God invites us to faithful stewardship, not guilt-driven performance.

So as 2026 dawns, let’s expect God to be God—faithful, near, wise, and good—and let’s align our expectations with his character. Let’s ask how we can grow in love for him and how we can make that love known. Not buried. Multiplied.

Key Takeaways

1. Expectation and faith belong together Expectation, biblically, is not optimism; it’s trust anchored in God’s character and promises. Like David, we remember concrete moments of God’s past faithfulness as fuel for present courage. This keeps expectation from drifting into wishful thinking. It turns memory into a spiritual discipline.
2. Hold expectations with open hands Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer teaches both clarity and surrender: ask specifically, yield completely. Open-handedness doesn’t weaken request; it purifies it. We become less attached to outcomes and more attached to the One who holds them. That posture steadies us when answers differ from our timelines.
3. Communicate, calibrate, and release expectations Unspoken expectations are booby traps for relationships. Speak them kindly, align them with ability and character, and release what you cannot control. This is humility in practice and love in motion, making room for grace instead of resentment.
4. Steward grace; don’t bury the gospel What God has entrusted—truth, time, testimony, resources—is meant to be invested, not hidden. The parable of the talents confronts our preference for safe storage over faithful risk. Share what you have, at the scale you have it, with the people you actually know. Fruit grows through steady, obedient sowing.
5. Love God deeply, love neighbors tangibly Intimacy with God should spill into the street. Devotion without expression becomes self-referential; expression without devotion runs dry. Seek practices that deepen affection for God, and let that affection take on flesh in patience, presence, hospitality, and honest words of hope.

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Matthew 25:14–30 (Parable of the talents)
- Matthew 26:39 (Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”)

Observation questions (3–4)

In Matthew 25, what reasons do the master and the servants give for how they handled the bags of gold? Which motives are praised and which are condemned?
In Matthew 25 the master gives each servant “according to his ability.” What details in the story describe how ability and opportunity were handled by the servants?
Read Matthew 26:39. What two parts make up Jesus’ prayer there, and how are those parts different from each other?
From the sermon: what three “ground rules” did the pastor give for placing expectations on other people? Name them specifically.

Interpretation questions (3–4)

How should the phrase “according to his ability” in Matthew 25 shape a church’s expectations for how people serve and share the gospel? What does it imply about fairness and stewardship?
The master takes the one bag from the fearful servant and gives it to the one who had ten. How might this action be understood for Christians who “bury” their faith or resources out of fear or apathy?
Matthew 26:39 shows Jesus asking specifically but surrendering fully. How can a follower practically combine specific prayer (asking boldly) with the posture of “not my will but yours” when outcomes don’t match expectations?
The sermon contrasted guilt-driven performance with faithful stewardship. How can a person tell whether they are acting from guilt or from faithful obedience when sharing time, testimony, or resources?

Application questions (5–7)

Think of one expectation you currently have for someone close to you (spouse, child, friend, coworker). Is that expectation spoken, realistic (within ability), and aligned with that person’s character? If not, what is one step you will take this week to either communicate it clearly or release it?
Identify one prayer request you are holding tightly to. How can you rephrase that request to be both specific and surrendered? (Write it down and pray it this week.)
Who is one person in your daily life that you can share a simple piece of your story or God’s love with in the next two weeks? Plan a specific way to do it (a coffee, a text, a short honest conversation).
Looking at your weekly rhythms, where is one small place you can invest what you already have (time, hospitality, listening, a testimony) instead of waiting until you feel “more equipped”? What will you do this week?
Review your typical New Year’s expectation or resolution. Is it an all-or-nothing demand on your willpower? How can you revise it to be more realistic—an achievable step that fits your season and ability? Name the new step and when you’ll start.
Remember a past time when God answered you in a way that gave you courage (like David remembering the lion/bear). Share that memory with the group or write it down. How can that memory fuel one specific act of faithful risk for the kingdom in 2026?
Is there a private “buried bag” (a practice, story, gift, or resource) you’ve been holding onto for fear or comfort? What is one small, concrete next step you can take to put that to use for someone else this month?

Sermon Quotes

As if January 1st I’m suddenly going to become a whole new person capable of all the self-discipline I have never displayed in my life.

It is wrong to have an unspoken expectation for someone else and then be upset when they fail to read our mind.

Our expectations for God are based on who he is — his character and what he said he would do — his promises in the Bible.

David has expectation that God will help him defeat Goliath because he has seen God in action in his life before.

We pray with expectation that God would move in your lives, that each person here would know the peace and love of God, meeting them right where they are and giving them what they need.

Prayer is how we make our expectations known to God; he has invited us to speak to him, not because he lacks knowledge, but because relationship matters.

God simply asks that we love him and love others the way that he loves us; to make his love known is both a simple command and a complex daily practice.

In Jesus' parable the bags of gold represent our resources and ability to share the good news of the gospel; God expects us to use what he gives to advance his kingdom.

We don’t need to feel like sharing the gospel is an obligation, but an invitation — a response to the love we’ve received, not a checklist to earn God’s favor.

The message of the gospel is simply too good to not be passionately shared with others around us; we must resist keeping it buried as private insurance for our salvation.

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