Adjusting our expectations to God's plans

In Isaiah chapter 43 there is a verse that I have read on other occasions but this time I am reading it from a new angle, with a new perspective that I want to share with all of you. But if I were to ask you about hand signals, how many of you are expecting something that God will do? How many are in the expectation of something? Okay, and how many are not expecting anything? If you want to get up, how many of you are expecting absolutely nothing? Feel free, I'm not going to blame you or anything.

Check this out. Isaiah 43 verse 18. It says: "So do not remember the past things or bring to memory any of the old things because behold, I do new things and soon they will come to light." "Behold, I do new things and soon they will come to light." "Can't you perceive them?" It is true that the text says 'Don't you know it?' but there is another version that also says 'Can't they perceive it?' as if it were saying 'Don't you get it?'. Can't you see that it's already getting closer?

“Can't they perceive it? Can't you see it's getting closer? Once again I will open the way in the desert and rivers in the solitude”. Let me leave it there. My brothers, what I want to share with you is a symbolism that is wrapped up in the Bible, it is wrapped up in the Scriptures and obviously I believe that every woman who has given birth can identify very well with this. And men, perhaps, find it hard to identify with that because we don't give birth like a woman does. But if you have witnessed, if you have been part of your wife in that process, you can identify very well with what it means to give birth.

But, look at this, how interesting: nine months of total expectation can be very interesting. Nine months of total waiting where one has their own expectations of what it will be like, how it will be. At least one of the expectations that we had was, what will their noses be like when they are born? That's my trademark so to speak. Nose. My mother-in-law always relaxes me because she always tells me: "If it comes out with your nose, I'm going to put a toothpick in it so that its nose can be outlined." That nose, there round. And one is always waiting. How will things be? You think about the day of the delivery and obviously my wife and I were talking and we were going 'Wow! That it be natural, that I can push without much pain and that I get out there in a matter of two or three hours and that's it."

One gets to do all those expectations. A sonogram told us it was a boy but on several occasions I dreamed that I saw myself carrying a girl and I said to myself 'Lord, could it be a mistake in the sonogram and what is coming is a girl instead of a boy?' And they are all those expectations there. I commented on that with one person and he told me "That's the safest is the third." And I, 'No, no! Leave me with the second one for now. Let me see how it goes with two, don't throw me at three yet. Please. ‘The thing is that in that process there are so many expectations that one has. It's like you're in a sea of emotions. There are times when one feels very happy and other times a worry overwhelms one and it is like 'what will become of this?'

And then when one reaches that point that one is there waiting and one begins to feel those pains that often make one cry, that make one despair. They are pains that often even frustrate so to speak. Like, when is this going to end once and for all? Get out boy! bid it. And there are times that it requires the hand of other people so that this can also come out and be carried out and become a reality. And once, if it's already outside and you have it in your hands, it's like, 'What now?'

It's like "reality sets in" and that weight falls on you and you hold it in your hands and on the one hand it's a joy, a glimpse that one can see in a tangible way what has been hidden but is it was forming in front of your very eyes and now you have it in your hands and you can enjoy it, you can laugh, you can also be baptized when you are changing it and things like that. But the thing is, you enjoy that in your hands. And I began to think, my brothers, believe me that in these past days I have been thinking “Lord, how many times do you not do that with each one of us?

There are promises, there are things that You have planted there in each one of our hearts, there are desires, there are desires, there are expectations that we have with our relationship with God, expectations that we have with loved ones around us, expectations that we have of others expectations we have of ourselves. Expectations that we can have of a church and how each of those expectations is fulfilled or not. How each of these expectations are forming or formulating a glimpse of what will be but is not yet and many times what will be that we form within ourselves when we see it come true for many it can be like 'Ah! That's not what I expected.

For many it can be like a frustrating process because it's like 'Wow! I expected something else of a different size and with other smells, but nevertheless I received this other thing. And there are times when there are people like that who cannot assimilate that transition of the expectations of what one can have here inside versus what is real in front of one. And many times in that transition we lose something. More, however, if I recognize that what I could have formulated here and what God brings and allows me to enjoy in my hand. If I recognize that this is something that comes from God, the color doesn't matter, the shape doesn't matter, the smells it has doesn't matter. If it comes from God it is something beautiful and it is something beautiful.

And my responsibility then is to be able to assimilate what God wants with what is tangible there in front of me. With what is tangible in front of you. These expectations, my brothers, form a sense of hope in us. I don't know about you, but I like to live with hope. I have hope in many ways. I have hope, you also have hope. There are people here who hope that they will see their children reach the feet of the Lord and that you say so. That you in your life before you die, you are going to see your son and your daughter to get to know the Lord. There are many here who may say the same thing about your spouse, your husband or your wife: that before you get even seven feet under the ground, you are going to see your husband or your wife reconciled or reconciled to the Lord. .

There are people here who hope that sooner or later their immigration status will be carried out. No matter how many impediments may arise, you have the hope that something will happen that will benefit your life. There are many here who are hoping that perhaps they are struggling with a character or attitude problem that just kind of keeps showing up over and over again. And somewhere deep in your heart you hope that character can change, can turn 180 degrees. And you have that hope. You hope that the day will come when you will get out of all your debts. You hope that maybe one day you will meet your green prince or your purple princess. I say another color because I'm going out of the ordinary so to speak.

I don't think there is such a thing as prince charming or like, what is the color of the woman? A white princess? You hope that the healing that you are waiting for in your body, you hope that the healing that you are waiting for in a loved one that that healing will come. And look, you know what? Even if the point of death were to come, in the Lord we have hope that there is a life that awaits us even further. Death does not end in things, that is not the final word of life. The final word is with the Lord. But that hope is there. And look how the Scripture says in Romans 5:5 "That hope that we have is not ashamed."

“And not only this, but we also glorify ourselves in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces patience and patience produces trial and this trial produces hope. And hope is not ashamed because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Look at that, my brothers, that hope that we have... if I combine that hope with my expectations and lock myself in my expectations and my hope is based on my expectations being fulfilled, it could be that I'll end up frustrated with the result.

Now, but if my expectations based on the hope of that love that God has given me through his Holy Spirit is limited and based on what God can do in the midst of Him in things, in the midst of my life, although not happen as I expected, with everything, I know I'm going to be fine. Because it is something that God allows, it is something that God does. It is something that God brings into our lives. For many, you know what? The test that produces that hope is very hard and I cannot deny it. I know that for many, this process of waiting and expectation to see what God will do is a very hard and very painful process.

That many tears have been shed, that many tears are being shed and that many tears will continue to be shed who knows in the days to come. But when the time comes when that period ceases and the Lord says “It has come this far. No more". The reward of your hope arrives. Then what were tears before will become tears of joy, tears of song, tears of joy. Because one can see the final fruit of what one expected and how God brought it to its final fulfillment, with the expectation of what God will do.

You know what? I look at you and I look at your faces and I see you looking at me and I say to myself 'Lord, are they getting it? Are we getting this?’ I say to myself, 'Lord, do I really understand what I'm saying? Do I understand what this means?' And I know that my mind is partly very fine: I manage to understand only part of it. But when I have that in my hands, when that new moment arrives, that new event, when I see that what was growing was growing and the Lord was saying to me 'Don't you see it? Don't you know him? You see it's there. It's coming right now, it's coming right now."

You can kind of see it, you can sometimes see the rubbing when it moves that in there. And when the time comes for it to come out and it is there, that is another point in the process because that is when we find what I was saying a few minutes ago: and now what? When your children come to know the Lord and now what? When your husband or your wife comes to recognize the Lord and is restored by the Lord, what now? When you get the job raise you expected, now what? When you manage to see that in you there is a change in your conduct, in your character, and now what? Do you know why I ask that “now what?” question? Because many times we get used to living with –as I can say in a respectful way- there are times when we get used to living with our “illnesses”.

We get used to living with our pods. We are very accommodating. Thank you. Or rather, let me put it in context. We are looking at what God is going to do but we continue behaving and thinking and living and looking in a way that does not resemble what that other brings. So, when that other thing arrives, if in this process through which I am going there is no adjustment of the mind, there is no adjustment of the spirit, there is no adjustment of the cells of my body to be able to enter this new thing, well, I'm leaving. to stay in the now and here and there I'm going to stay stuck. I'm going to be living like who says adrift by daily living and I don't make a plan.

I did not draw up a plan so that when this manifests itself, I can run with it and navigate those waters. People say to me 'Are you getting ready not to sleep when Sebastian arrives?' and I 'Look, yes, I'm getting ready. I 'm ready'. But you know what? My wife and I believe that this is what happens when you marry a woman who is well logistic. A woman who loves numbers and if the numbers don't add and subtract as she wants, it doesn't happen, because we have to adjust like that. The point is that, and that is a beautiful virtue in my wife, I say it that way, when we see that this son is growing in there, we already begin to see what we are going to do when the time to sleep arrives. Many people told us “Ah! Sleep with him in bed so he feels your warmth" or "Charge him all the time so you miss him well. Babies need to be yearned for."

Look, you know what? I thank God for this. Because when we see the "now what?" that we have him there, when we were in the hospital she told me 'We stay with him here in the room with us so he can sleep' and I told her 'You know what? I would love to have him here but you need to recover so we are going to send him to the nursery and when he starts to cry bring him to you. But you and I need to rest because if we don't rest we won't have energy to attend to the boy. So look, from the moment that this new thing is revealed, one begins to make adjustments. From the moment that this new thing arrives, one begins, as they say, that tango: 'It takes two to tango'.

Two are needed and one takes a step here and another takes a step there and one adjusts here and adjusts there. The characters have to be adjusted and thinking about how we are going to do so that the other brother does not feel jealous and that he can also feel cared for. How are we going to do those things and adjust to this new life together? My brothers, I am speaking to you about illustrations that I am living right now above my flesh and blood, but at the same time this occurs in the things that God wants to do with us. That occurs in our daily living with the Lord. Every day that we can open our eyes is a day that the Lord has made and with every day that the Lord has, God has something new that can appear there.

But we have to be aware and see those things when they come to light. Thing that when God does it that I can respond. 'Oh! This happened. How can I move around here then?’ 'Oh! Did something small happen that brings me a little closer to what I expected?’ Look, there is the reward for my hope because little by little I see glimpses here and there that bring me closer and closer. And when I see that, if I resent them, I am not assimilating to those new things that I want to see in my life. And then it is useless for me to be praying for that new thing if from here I am not making adjustments for it.

Therefore, my brothers, those expectations that we have – I am going to close here – look my brothers, our expectations instead of us adjusting God's expectations to ours, let's adjust our expectations to God's expectations. I know that it is a hard process, it is a difficult process because that requires, as they say, one to lower oneself, but that is what God wants. When I read the Scripture "delight yourself in Jehovah and He will grant the desires of your heart", that delight means that: Lord my delight is in you, my delight is not in me having what I want. My delight is in You and when I delight in You then You grant the desires of my heart that are in line with the things You want for me.

So brothers I'm going to shut up. I have much more to say, but I'm going to shut up because my voice won't let me. So let's pray, let's pray with this in mind. You know what? I can imagine what some of your expectations are because maybe they are expectations that we share in one way or another. In essence we share them but I also know that God has expectations with each one of you. Just as you want to see something new from God, so the Lord wants to see something new from you. Just as I want God to behave and proceed with my life in one way or another, God also longs and desires to see something in my life that moves in His direction.

So we are all waiting for what God is going to do. We are all up to that expectation. May that expectation not die. Listen well: that expectation does not die, that hope does not die, that hope is not drowned by the circumstances of life, but that hope can remain because that hope, you know what? It won't let you down to shame. Others will want you to be ashamed, but if your hope is based on what God wants for you, you will never be ashamed. Neither you nor yours will fall into shame and when you see the revelation, the manifestation of what you were waiting for, you can then flow in that new current that God has for you. That you do not stay like that in the "and now what?" but that you can flow fully.

Let's pray. Thank you Jesus. Thank my Lord. Father, I thank you for your people who are here today. Thank you for each one of your sons and daughters, thank you for the expectations that you have concerning us because that gives us hope, Lord, that you are interested in the midst of our lives. For each of us You care and love us. So Lord, I pray that each one of my brothers and sisters that are here, they also have expectations. We have expectations concerning You. I ask You to teach us to live in a way, Lord, in which we can align ourselves with Yours because You are greater than us, You are greater than us, You are more faithful than us.

You have more than we can offer. So I ask that You help us align ourselves with You Jesus. And Father, in the same way that because of the love that You have towards our lives, we can see the expectations and hopes that we also have fulfilled in this life that we have today. In whatever form that may manifest. Be it at the family level, be it at the work level, be it at the personal level, be it at the level of finances, be it at the level of material provision, be it at the level of inner peace, whatever it is Lord. Be it at the level of physical, emotional, spiritual health. Lord, I ask that You, from the depths of Your heart, bring in us this conviction that You want to fulfill our expectations.

And that at the same time you want us to adjust to yours so that once they manifest we know how to live with those changes, Lord. Let's know how to live with these new settings. Teach us my God, teach us the path we must walk. Your Word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path, Lord. Allow Your word to continue illuminating each step of our lives so that when the manifestation of those things that You have in store arrives, Lord, that we can enjoy it, that we can enjoy ourselves and that we know how to live second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. , day after day Lord.

In light of what You have for each of our lives. We bless you Lord. We thank you Father for the blessings that you give us, that you have given us and will continue to give us, Lord. Bless each one of my brothers and sisters tonight, take them safely to their homes and may You grant each one of Your Peace. Thank you in the name of Jesus. Amen.