What were you expecting?

This powerful message confronts us with a piercing question that echoes throughout our spiritual journey: What are we truly expecting from God? Through the remarkable story of Daniel in the lion's den, we discover the critical distinction between favor and faith. While favor is God's unmerited blessing poured out on our lives, faith requires our active participation and relationship with Him. The king who witnessed Daniel's deliverance had witnessed God's favor on Daniel's life, yet without personal relationship and faith, his confident statement 'He is able' became a desperate question 'Was He able?' This transformation from certainty to doubt reveals what happens when we pray and fast without the foundation of genuine faith. We're challenged to examine our own prayer lives: Are we tearing down heaven with our petitions while secretly doubting God will actually answer? The church prayed without ceasing for Peter's release, yet when he knocked on the door, they couldn't believe it was really him. This convicting reality asks us to consider whether we're bound by the low expectations of others—or even our own limited imagination. The truth is, we don't have to remain imprisoned by what people expect of us, whether it's failure, addiction, poverty, or spiritual stagnation. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, and we've each been given a measure of faith. The question isn't whether God is able—He absolutely is—but whether we have the faith to expect the exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or imagine that He promises to those who believe.