I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
—Psalm 5:3
Expectations tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies …
If you expect to be mistreated, you probably will be—or think you are.
If you expect to dislike a person, you likely will.
If you expect people to be hostile, that’s what you’ll feel.
If you expect them to be friendly, that’s what you’ll sense.
If you expect the church to be cold and uncaring, that’s what you will perceive it to be.
If you expect it to be uplifting and nurturing, that’s what you will experience.
If you expect something to go badly, chances are it will.
If you expect it to go well, most likely that’s what will happen.
And when you expect God to get involved you anticipate a positive outcome, because you know that God is good at writing happy endings.
We usually see, hear, and feel
what we expect to see, hear, and feel.