Releasing Expectations (by Cathe Laurie)

“Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, “Can an old woman like me have a baby?” Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son’” (Genesis 18:13–14 NLT).

If you’ve flown before, you might have experienced these two dreaded words flashing across screens as you wait for your plane:

Flight Delayed.

Years ago, Greg and I were booked on a flight back home from Maui, scheduled with enough time so Greg could speak at a funeral the following morning. First, the flight was delayed. Then, after boarding, they found a mechanical issue. We sat on the plane for almost two hours while it was resolved. By the time it was fixed and we were taxiing to the runway, the captain announced that the crew had reached their maximum work limit and needed to leave. Without a crew ready to replace them, we all had to gather our luggage and deplane. Sadly, Greg ended up missing the funeral.

It’s always frustrating when a flight is delayed, but I could feel the mounting tension each time we were on the precipice of leaving, only to be delayed again.

There’s something about the expectation of leaving—of having a definitive time, and that time changing—that heightens frustration.

Changing the Way We Think

But what if we’d had no expectation or time frame? What if we hadn’t had the funeral scheduled for the next morning? What if we hadn’t known when our plane was supposed to take off, but knew that, at some point, we would get home? There may not have been any frustration at all!

Of course, that’s not how our day-to-day life typically works. But how often do we put expectations on our lives as a whole?

Trusting God When Life Isn’t What We Planned 

When God promises us something, it’s easy to wait at first. We say, “I trust You!” and press on, knowing He’ll make it happen in His time. But as time passes and our subconscious expectations aren’t met, we get frustrated and begin to doubt.

Maybe you expected to be married by 25, have children before 30, or see your career launch by the time you were 50. Somewhere deep within us, we tend to have what I’d call our “ideal timeline.” And when that timeline isn’t met, do we still trust that God will do it?

Abraham and Sarah’s Delay for a Child

In Scripture, Abraham and Sarah had several delays. From God’s first promise of a son to the time Isaac was actually born was twenty-five years! When God told them they’d have a child by the following year (see Genesis 18), Sarah actually laughed because it seemed so ridiculous. After all, she was 90 years old by then!

At some point, I imagine they figured the promise would never happen. In fact, they even strayed from God’s plan to make things happen in their own way (and dealt with the repercussions from their actions). Even though they had heard from the Lord, enough time had passed that it seemed impossible.

Keeping Faith in the Waiting

What impossible promises has God handed you? What have you been waiting for? Are you still faithfully waiting, or have you given up, frustrated because your expectations weren’t met?

Take Abraham and Sarah’s story as a reminder that God works through the impossible. His ways are so much greater than our own expectations!

Perhaps He’s inviting you to set aside your own timeline today and trust Him again. Perhaps He’s calling you to dance through each year by His side, letting go of your disappointment and frustration.

His timing is perfect. And His promises will never fail!