Better Than Expected

"Here we go again,” I sighed. "Stuff can never just go the way I planned.”

Whether it's an outfit that we swore would look good up until we actually put it on, or a desired relationship not playing out the way we hoped, we all know what it's like to grapple with things not going as expected. It can leave us feeling anything from mild irritation and disappointment, to deep-seated anger towards God for seeming to always allow our plans to fall apart.

As difficult as it is to deal with things not going our way, how can we find hope in times like this? By understanding that even when things don’t go the way we planned, God is allowing them to work out in ways that are actually better for us. As Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We can see a great Biblical example of this when we examine how people expected the Son of Man to be, compared to how He actually ended up being.

The Jesus People Wanted vs. the Jesus People Got

The Jewish people of Jesus’s time hoped that the Messiah would be a strong, heroic figure who would stand up against their current political system and free them from being under Roman rule. While Jesus is indeed our heroic Savior, He shocked the Jewish people because He seemed more focused on challenging their hearts and their works-based religious system, than on addressing the Romans who held control over their nation. Many Jews of that time may have also expected the Son of God to appear as a glamorous, rich king who might ride on a white horse. Instead, Jesus was born on the floor of a manger, into a young, impoverished family. When later entering Jerusalem as an adult on Palm Sunday, He rode into town not on a noble steed, but on a donkey that actually belonged to someone else (Mark 11:1-7).

How else did Jesus seem to fall short of people's hopes and expectations?

The religious leaders at the time He came — the Pharisees and Sadducees — sat at the top of Israel's socio-religious food chain. Many Jews likely would have expected this heirachy to continue on once the prophesied Messiah arrived. Yet, as soon as Jesus began His ministry, He flipped their religion up-side down. He modeled a kingdom where people who previously were the most looked-down upon in society (women, those with disabilities, prisoners, those who were impoverished, children, etc.), caught the King's eye more than the wealthy or established. Jesus's reign was unlike any kingdom the people had ever seen. It was one where the humble were suddenly being exalted and pardoned, while those who were proud were now facing opposition (James 4:6).

Naturally, none of this sat right with many folks. They resisted God's plans and tried to make things go the way that they thought was best. Both Jewish religious leaders (Luke 23:1-5) and townspeople (Luke 4:28-30), wanted Jesus and His way of life gone.

The Jews of His time made the same mistake we often do when things don’t go as expected in our lives. They remained so focused on not receiving what they wanted from God, they missed the fact that what they were receiving was actually far better.

How is the Jesus the world got “better” than the Jesus they expected?

The Jesus Who walked this Earth lived in humility, rather than in pomp and worldly success. He endured suffering, and is therefore able to truly empathize with us in our struggles (Hebrews 4:15). He astonished the world by choosing to extend grace to all of those whom the rest of society had tried to shame and discard. This Jesus made it possible for anyone to be saved. Not only the rich and elite. Not only men. Not only people of Jewish background, or people who had a sweaky clean religious track record. He ensured that salvation would include everyone who accepts Him as their Lord and Savior.

Jesus proved that regardless of how the world sees us, what mistakes we make, or how many times we fail, He wants to welcome us into His Kingdom. His grace, mercy, and favor are abundantly available to all people. Unlike the Savior most people anticipated, the true Jesus is fully accessible, equal-opportunity, and deeply in love with each and every one of us. Through Him and only through Him, we have access to God the Father Who seeks to provide for us, as well as access to the Holy Spirit Who leads us in all truth and guides us down the paths that are best for us.

The Savior we got is so much better than the Savior anyone could have foreseen. Through Jesus's sacrifice for us, God shows us that His ways truly are higher than our own.

What does this teach us about our own lives, when things don’t go as we hoped?

If we're following God and allowing Him to mold us to become more like Jesus, when things fail to go the way we planned, we can trust that it means God has something better in mind. He is directing our paths in ways that are much beneficial for us and everyone He plans to include in our stories.

God’s plans always account for our current maturity level, dangers He's trying to protect us from, and the good desires He has placed in our hearts. He also accounts for ways to bless others through us. Oftentimes, we want things to go in a way that we know would be most easy and enjoyable for us — but God's vision is so much bigger than that. For this reason, He allows things to unfold in the way that will benefit us and bless others most, while bringing Him the most glory out of the situation.

Just as the people of Jesus's time did, we can remain fixated on things not happening the way we want them to... or, we can choose to believe by faith that what God's doing in our lives instead will come with more blessings attached to it than we ever expected.

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Heavenly Father,

You know we often get upset about things not working out how we want them to. When that happens, Lord, help us to remember Your unconditional love. Give us hearts that believe that anything You allow for us will somehow be better instead. It may take a while before we can see with our own eyes just how Your plans are better than what we desire, but no matter what, we know that You are on our side. Help us to trust that You're working all things, including every unexpected, seemingly-disappointing situation, together for a greater good than we can even conceive.

In Jesus's name,

Amen.