Charles Dickens’ 19th century novel is about the education and coming of age of a young orphan. With a variety of plot twists and turns, as one summary of the novel puts it, the young orphan “comes to realize that his ‘great expectations’—social standing and wealth—are less important than loyalty and compassion. That is, one’s focus and (associated valuations) are frequently misplaced.

It’s the day after a presidential election in the United States of America. Needless to say, the expectations were great.

What were the expectations?

We expected our team to win.

Why?

We donated money.

We volunteered.

We thought others would see things as we do.

We prayed.

A dear friend put it best. “It’s as if we (the church) are being transformed by the breathing-in of the air of the world’s atmosphere.” Knowingly or not, our views and responses have a decidedly terrestrial and less of a heavenly formation.

What did I expect?

God was, is and will continue to be in control of everything (Psalm 24:1).

Why?

Because God, who is without beginning or end, who is all-powerful and all-knowing, has an infinite and (honestly) unfathomable love for everything that is His (Lamentations 3:22-23).

As the song intones,

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

I have great expectations!

Categories: Acts17seventeen

Pastor Mark

Mark, the eighth of nine children born to Reuben and Henrietta Meeks—dedicated church planters with nearly 30 congregations established across California’s Central Valley—is a preacher's kid who grew up immersed in faith and service. With over forty years of experience teaching, discipling, and ministering to communities, including the hospitalized and incarcerated, Mark responded to God's call to pastoral ministry. He holds degrees in civil engineering and public administration, as well as a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary, equipping him to serve with both practical insight and spiritual depth.