Expectation & Favor
Isaiah 41:17–20
Expectation: A faith-filled belief that God is going to do the supernatural.
Isaiah 41:17–20 (NLT)
17 “When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.
18 I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.
I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.
19 I will plant trees in the barren desert—cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.
20 I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means—
that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.”
1. Recognizing Your Need is Where Expectation Begins.
Isaiah 41:17 (NLT)
“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none,
and their tongues are parched from thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer...”
Practical Steps:
1. Go to bed tonight and don’t look at your phone or watch TV.
2. Write down 1 or 2 things you are believing God for. Ask God to speak to you.
3. Wake up tomorrow morning and don’t look at your phone or watch TV.
4. Read your Bible. Sit quietly.
5. Pray for the things you are believing God for.
6. Turn on some worship music and really worship.
7. Write down what God says.
2. God Answers Hunger and Expectation.
Isaiah 41:17 (NLT)
“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.”
1st. Doubt
James 1:5–8 (NIV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
2nd. Sin
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
3rd. Dread and Fear
Hebrews 10:38 (NIV)
“But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
3. Expectation Leads to the Miraculous.
Isaiah 41:18–20 (NLT)
18 I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.
I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.
I will fill the desert with pools of water.
Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.
19 I will plant trees in the barren desert—cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.
20 I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means—
that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.
