How Expectation Disrupts Spirit

Unknown

Lots of Christians, particularly those with lesser Biblical familiarity, remember Stephen as the early church deacon who was martyred by stoning. Many people also note that Saul, who would later become one of the largest Christian influences in history, was present and approved of this stoning. Prior to Stephen's death, however, he makes a long speech to the high priest under whom he has been arrested. Stephen walks through the narrative of the Old Testament, emphasizing God's continual presence and care, but it is a piece toward the end of his speech that I want to focus on today. 

In Acts 7:44-53, Stephen notes the history of the Temple and the Tabernacle before it, as well as the way in which Israel historically expected God to show up within these confines. Because God had repeatedly shown up in these places and to the religious leaders within, the Jewish people believed He would again. (Or, at least, they claimed to, as in Matthew, the Temple itself was being profaned as a marketplace.)

Stephen, however, makes an interesting claim that God does not dwell in human hands or houses, but instead in Heaven, as He is larger and grander than any man-made construction could be. To borrow a metaphor from Dr. Scott Jones, God's presence inhabiting any physical structure or being on earth would be like a whole galaxy attempting to enter a dandelion (hence the miraculous glory of the incarnation). 

Furthermore, Stephen notes that because of this expectation about where and how God would appear, the Jewish leaders had MISSED the physical incarnation of God walking among their very streets! Just as they had persecuted prophets and defied the law, the people of Israel could not lift their eyes away from their expectations long enough to realize the actualization of the Messiah. Because they were caught in the comfort and predictability of expectations and wanting, they missed out on the tangible presence of God among them. 

Are we revering our comfort zones in the same way? 

Each of us has expectations about the ways we expect God to show up. Some want Him to prove His existence or His care through miraculous intervention. Some demand answered prayers, myself included. Some expect Him to remain silent and uninterrupting. When we put God into a box, when we expect that He will only show up in one specific way, be it in prayer, Scripture, theophany, or otherwise, we risk missing the reality of His presence in the unexpected. 

When we demand God give us audible instruction, we may miss His grace in the wind on a hot day. When we insist His silence, we may misunderstand His speech. When we expect Him to heal, we may miss His gift of simply being alive. 

To be clear, it is difficult to be humble. It is difficult to admit that we are wrong, that we don't know something, and that our expectations were incorrect. Jesus Himself, however, was the picture of humility, and Christians are called to act in the same way. We are intended to be humble, and part of that means recognizing that God has a habit of appearing in the least expected ways. We do not know how, when, or where He will appear or speak. We do know, however, that He has good plans, and that He will execute those plans in due time. 

What the Christian needs to practice is wide-eyed observation. We must admire the world around us and seek to find the inklings of God's presence all throughout it. By dismantling our expectations, we are able to more fully witness, worship, and share God's action in our lives, and expereience all the more the many ways He chooses to be present.