[SERMON] When God's Plan Doesn't Match Yours | Great Expectations

In this message from Heart O' The Lakes Church, we explore the tension between our personal plans and God's greater purpose for our lives. Drawing from Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Philippians 3:13-14, this sermon challenges us to release our ideals and expectations, listen for God's voice in the silence, and trust that His path—though often harder—leads to something far greater than we could imagine for ourselves.

Transcript

 

Introduction: Ideals vs. Reality

There's times that God works things together that you can't necessarily even write or prepare for in one way or another, and that's kind of what he did with the way this service came together today. Because you look at Mr. Staffer, you recognize his plans didn't go the way he had hoped, the things that he had wanted.

That's never the way that it was supposed to be in his mind or in his heart for the things that he was thinking through. And we're gonna be talking about that very specifically today. So the first thing I wanna kind of challenge you guys with just a little bit is how many times do you look through life and say, I've got these plans, I've got things that I want to see happen, I've got things that I want to get done.

Anybody typically do that? Have we got any planners in the room? Okay, go ahead and put your hands down. How many are married to a planner who likes to have things written down? Yeah. Okay. So those hands went up real fast, like that was quick. So what I wanna talk about today is I want to talk about what are your ideals, because every single one of us has something that we would determine as being an ideal.

We have the plan for that perfect white picket fence. The beautiful house, the the 2.5 kids, the well manicured lawn. All of those things that are that American dream, the things that people are looking at and like, well, in a perfect world, this is the ideal. I'm gonna work at a company for, you know, 45, 50 years, I'm gonna spend my time there.

I'm gonna get the gold watch. I'm gonna retire from that corner office. Everything is gonna be great, but we don't often get our ideals, the things that we want most, that that perfect version of what we want our lives to be doesn't often come to fruition. So when that happens, you kind of find yourself asking yourself, what am I expecting from life?

You kind of pivot from the idea of those ideals and you move over to the expectations of life. I expect that things aren't gonna go quite as they had planned. If your Kyle, you expect that your car is gonna fail at any given moment. We all have different plans in mind and we have different expectations where the ideal is over here and we have it kind of raised up as the standard of what we want, and then we've got the expectation that's maybe down here of the thing that we would settle for.

The problem is when we have that dichotomy between those two things, when they aren't quite lining up or they don't quite match the way that you would hope that they would, we turn to God. Some of us do it in a God, please just kind of fix this scenario, make it better, correct it, make it easier. Others of us are maybe a little bit more aggressive and we're like, God, why?

Why does this have to be this way? Why is this the thing that is my what in life? Why is this the thing that I have to lean into and figure out a way to deal with? Because there are times that we turn to God and we're like, God, we, we just need some understanding. We need a little bit of help. Sometimes God says yes, and sometimes he says no.

Because there are times in life when things are difficult, and for each of us, God in that moment kind of feels absent because he has said no, or because he has said, that's not the plan that I have for you. And when those moments come up, that's a really hard thing to hear and a really hard thing to accept.

But this is not new information for most of us. If you've been a Jesus follower for any length of time, there's probably been a point in life where you have heard God say no. And if you haven't yet, you need to be prepared for the day that that comes up, because there will eventually be a time where you lift something up to God and God's like, no, that's not what I have for you.

But God's got a reason for why that plays out that way. There's a purpose and a plan behind how that works. We just don't always understand it. Now, we're gonna start with a piece of scripture here, but I want you to understand this isn't where we're ending. This is just where we're starting. Remember the parts in yellow we read together?

Scripture: Isaiah 55:8-9 - God's Thoughts Are Higher

In Isaiah, it says, my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine for just as the heavens are higher than the earth. So my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. See, here's the thing we don't understand or that we don't like having to understand.

God is all the way up here. He can see the entire plan, the entire puzzle, the entire picture, when we can only see this much of it. And he bases his plan for your life and for mine on being able to see the entire structure. And that's an important thing to come to the realization of because God, in all of his infinite wisdom, he's never promised us simple.

He's never promised us easy. He's never promised us uncomplicated. So whenever we look at that and we know that God's got a plan that exists that is greater than ours, that he's got thoughts and plans and ideas that are smarter and wiser than ours, what should my expectations be? Should my expectations be The things that just I want, should they be the things that as I'm walking through life and I'm trying to understand, where do I go from here that I just kind of take off at 800 miles an hour and while I'm already on my way, kind of look up and say, Hey, God, just kind of gimme some clarity here and keep right on going.

No, I have to take time From the very beginning. And think through and pray through and converse with God about what my expectations should be, and there are times for each of us that that's hard because there are going to be things in life for you and for me that I want, that aren't a part of God's plan for me.

If you're a person who's ever looked at a scenario and said, well, this is what I'm trying to achieve, this is what my five year plan is. This is what my 10 year plan is. I'm gonna go from here to here. I'm gonna get this promotion, get this raise, and then go up here and do this. If you haven't consulted God about any of that, none of it may come to fruition.

But that's okay because there are times when that happens. The, it's just because God's plan is greater. But in that moment, in that moment where God's like, Hey, ho, ho. Slow it. Slow down, slow down. Just wait a minute. You gotta pause right here. This is not what I have for you. You might not hear it that way in the moment.

You might hear it as unsupportive. You might hear it as a distance that has been created between you and God. You may even determine in that moment, I don't know that God even cares about what I want. He does. He does. He does care. He cares about every single person in here and every single thing that we're looking at.

But if the thing that you want is over here and the thing that God wants is over here and his is so much better, there's something to be said whenever God says no to this, that it's a good thing. It's just hard to hear in that moment. So how do I start to get my expectations in line with Gods? Now you hear Kyle talk about the book of Proverbs all the time, 

Point 1: Aligning Expectations with God

like it.

He calls it the Book of Wisdom because you can go through Proverbs and it gives you all these different pieces and nuggets of wisdom as you're reading through it. This is one of those verses. It comes from Proverbs three five and it says this, trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. So picture yourselves in this moment. Right now, you're standing at a fork in the road where one side looks simple, easy. This is the plan that I want. This is the future. This is what I went to college for. This is what everything in my life is 

Illustration: The Fork in the Road

pointing to.

It's easy. It makes sense for me from my perspective, from this vantage point to go down this path right here. And then there's this path over on the other side where you're looking at it and there's thistles and it's jagged and it's rocky, and it's five miles uphill both ways in 16 inches of snow. And it's all of these complicated and hard things that none of us want to deal with.

When God looks at you and says, that one, that's tough. Because we look at that moment and we're like, there is so much stuff here that is hard and complicated and difficult. Why does it have to be this one? Because God says in this verse, he's gonna show you the path. He's not saying anywhere in there. I'm gonna plow it for you and pave it, and it's gonna be a six lane highway and oh, here's a scooter.

You can ride on it. He doesn't say any of that stuff. He simply says, I'm going to show you the path. Yeah, but then we have to be the ones who make that decision to kinda walk down that same path. We have to be paying attention to what God is telling us to do to that end. When is the last time you listened to God?

Point 2: Learning to Listen to God

Think about that for a minute, because realistically, the majority of people, especially the majority of Americans, our prayer life kind of goes something like this. God, please care for this person. Please care for that person. Heal this injury, heal this person that's sick. Heal this person that's sick, and give me a billion dollars.

Amen. That's basically where it stops because immediately after you fall asleep, for most people, that's kind of the path that it takes because we are largely uncomfortable sitting in silence, and that's where you can hear that still small voice of God. Trying to communicate something to you potentially something critically important, like which path you need to go down, what direction you need to go, what steps you need to take.

But even if I just stood up here in silence for three minutes, you would be horribly uncomfortable. I'm not going to do it, so don't worry. But if I did, you would be horribly uncomfortable because we don't like living in a world where there's not something to kind of be happening. But look at what it says in I in Isaiah.

Scripture: Isaiah 30:21 - God's Voice Behind You

Your own ears will hear him right behind you. A voice will say, this is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left. Then you will destroy your, all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags saying to them, good riddance. So go back to that idea of having two different things.

The things that you want, the things that you've planned for, the things that you've hoped for and desired, and then the things that God's got for you over here. You'll look at those things and be like. Why did I ever want this stuff in the first place? And drop it and be able to move full on toward this stuff right here?

Because God's plan is greater. God's gifts are greater. God's plan for you and his desire for you, and the purpose that he has for you is greater. And because it's greater when you are looking at the stuff that he has, the things that were over here will pale in comparison and eventually no longer matter to you.

But you have to be willing to take that moment and take that step in faith and accept the gifts that he's offering because sometimes the stuff that's over here, we like it. We are passionate about it. It's our wants, our hopes, our future, our desires. It's all of those things that we have always wanted, but don't actually need and have to drop it off at the side.

Because what if the thing that God is offering you is that much greater? It should be easier to say yes to this because it's better, but we're selfish. And we like our plans and our future and our desires and our wants and our needs, and it's hard to let that go. So early on to the beginning of this sermon, I had said, how do I get my expectations in line with God?

Point 3: Releasing Our Plans for God's Purpose

Full disclosure, that was a trick question because we don't. Because the thing that we want is from our sinful, fleshy nature, and the thing that God wants is holy and beneficial. And for our good and for the good of those around us and all of those things together, you're not gonna be able to kind of maneuver and kind of work the bad stuff in with the good stuff.

You have to simply be willing to take those things that you had before and release them. It's not a matter of trying to make those two things equal or make them pull and work in the same direction unless God deems that to be the case, which sometimes he will, but more often than not, the selfish desires that we have from over here are never going to mesh with the things that God wants for us on this other side.

They just won't. So we have to drop these things and not just drop them, but walk away from them. Paul wrote in his letter to the people of Philipp Hop because this is not a new problem. He was explaining to them, he's like, Hey guys, here's the situation, the perfection that is Jesus Christ. That thing that we're all after, the thing that we want, the thing that is sought after and 

Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14 - Pressing Forward

desired.

All of the things that kind of come along with that, I'm not quite there yet. Here's how he puts it in Philippians three, starting in 13. No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us.

We recognize as Jesus followers that God is greater. We recognize the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose. Again, we acknowledge all of those things because personally, professionally, mentally, those things are the easier part of that because that doesn't necessarily require any work on your end or mine mind, but it changes whenever it's, oh, and those things that you've been working toward.

Illustration: The President and the Ditch Digger

It's time to kind of let 'em go. I heard a Christian comedian one time say it like this. He said, if you were the president of the United States of America, and God himself called you to be a ditch digger, you would have to step down and resign immediately. It is not about what your plans are. It's not about what level of work you've put in.

It's not even necessarily about your personal wants or desires. It's about being obedient for all of the things that God has ever had for you or ever called you to be a part of. Because there are times for you and for me that as I'm looking at my life, or maybe you are looking at yours, we can see that there's that difference between what God wants from us.

And what I expect out of myself. Anybody here willing to admit that there's been a time where you've settled, you've maybe said, you know, I know that God wants this thing. I know that this is the direction that he wants me to go, but all of this stuff over here, there was a part of that old portion of my life, that part that as Paul describes that I'm supposed to be working on, forgetting, it just keeps kind of luring me back in.

Again, and again and again because it's what I know. It's what's easy, it's what's comfortable, and those things are always the things that are going to try and kind of pull us back that direction because it takes effort and strength, bravery even, and boldness to be able to step up and say, you know what?

That whole death dis self thing that I read about in the Bible. That's not just something on paper that seems kind of, you know, in the moment. It's a genuine thing that I have to be choosing all the time to be willing to say this piece of my life and all the rest of it, all of those wants and desires are over when I become a follower of Jesus because he's calling me to something that is this much greater.

And that's what genuinely matters. So what does this mean for you? Because for each and every one of us, we end up with these mentalities, these ideas of, well, you know, Matt can stand up there and talk about it, but he doesn't actually know what I'm living through. He doesn't know the work that I've put in.

He doesn't know the time and the effort and the dedication that I've given to all of these different things in my life. And now he's standing up there and he's saying that maybe just maybe the thing that I've been devoting my time and energy to isn't really what God has for me. I am. I am saying that not because I don't value the work that you've put in or the time that you've spent in whatever it may be, that is this portion of your life.

Application: Finding Your God-Given Purpose

I'm saying it only because if you didn't take time and listen to hear God's voice and his direction in what he was telling you to do, you might be missing something even greater. Something even more important, not any person is here on accident. Every single one of you is here right now because God said this planet, this, everything that I started spinning, everything that I created, all of creation needs that person right there, right now, and there's a reason why they're there.

It's up to us to kind of figure out what that is. Because when you get connected with your purpose, that comes from God, it is unlike anything else you will ever experience in your entire life because God has designed you for something unique. He's designed you for with stuff that I can't do. He's designed me with stuff that you can't do.

Every single person in here has a piece or a part of them that God said, this is what that person can be doing on Earth right now to grow my kingdom and to lead people into a deeper relationship with me. How sad would it be if you took time and you didn't ever give that the full weight that it's due to say, Hey, I need to figure out what that is.

And what it looks like, because here's the thing, we frequently wish for our ideals. We wish for that perfection. We wish for all of those things to come together in just the perfect way. But then we settle for just our expectations, those things that, while that's not ideal, but that's acceptable, so I'll take it and I'll call that the standard.

But God offers you more. God offers you greater. When the God of all creation looks at you and says, Hey, I've got something that I think would be perfectly suited for you. Why would you ever look at that and say, nah, I'm good. That's not what he has for us. He's got a plan that's bigger and greater than every single person here can possibly imagine, and it doesn't mean that you're gonna have to go be the ditch digger or sell all of your belongings.

It could mean that God says, Hey, I want you in addition to this, the thing that you like, I want to add this thing onto it. And that's not a bad thing. So here's what I want you to do. If you heard this this morning and you're like, you know, Matt, I, I don't really know. What God's expectations are for me. I don't really know what he's looking 

Invitation: Take the Next Step

for from my life.

I don't really know what he's got planned for me. Pull out your bulletins and on that back section on the connection card, just write expectations and you will be prayed for this week. You'll get a prayer this week whenever we go through our staff meeting. We pray about all of the prayer requests that come through on these.

We will pray for you this week. But I also recognize that sometimes there needs to be a conversation too, where for some of us we're like, the prayer is great. Please keep doing that. But I would also like someone to talk to me or to reach out this week. I just need another voice to listen or to speak into what's going on for me.

If that's you underneath where you write expectations, just put a check mark and I will reach out this week. I will give you a call and we will have a conversation. It doesn't have to be anything. I'm not gonna be like trying to sell you something. It's not a timeshare. It's nothing like that. I just wanna be able to be the other voice on the end of the line where you're able to say, this is what I think God might be saying to me.

Are you willing to kind of talk through that with me a little bit or pray with me to help me figure out what God is actually calling me to? The answer is yes. I'll be happy to do that with you. All you gotta do is just mark it on the back of here and we can do that this week. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Closing Prayer

God, there are times that we know the things that you call us to are big way, bigger than what we think we would ever be capable of doing, but we don't have to do it alone because you are there right beside us. Wherever you're taking us, you're there every step of the way. No matter how hard or rocky or difficult that terrain looks, God, we know that you are right there saying, I'm here helping you move along through this because I've got a plan for you.

So God, for each person in this room that is thinking through this, wrestling, down this idea, give them the boldness to say, today's the day I'm gonna step out and make some of these decisions. Give them the strength to be able to look at this scenario and say, I'm ready to start now. I'm tired of just living for me.

I want to figure out what God's got for me and I don't want to settle anymore. So, God, for each of those people, be with them this week because just hearing a message up here and then kind of letting it drift in one ear and out the other is not gonna change their lives. But going to you and saying, Lord, I'm ready to hear your voice.

I'm ready to hear what you have for me. Has earth shattering changes and abilities in each of their lives. So God, be with us this week as we're walking through whatever this door looks like. We appreciate you and thank you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.