When God Breaks Our Expectations (Daily Devotional)

Scripture: Acts 9:5-6

Devotional:

We all carry expectations—about our families, careers, health, and even God Himself. Sometimes those expectations are met, but often they are broken. Disappointment can come when a marriage is more complex than imagined, when a child’s path strays, or when illness replaces years of health. The deeper pain beneath these moments is often that our vision for life has been shattered.

Saul of Tarsus knew this feeling in a life-altering way. As a zealous Pharisee, he expected the Messiah to be a conquering king—a political liberator in the line of David. But on the road to Damascus, the risen Christ met him in blinding light. Saul’s sight was taken, and with it, the illusion that he understood God’s plan. For three days, he sat in darkness until Ananias came with healing and the truth of the Gospel.

Saul’s expectations had to die so that God’s reality could live in him. The Messiah’s mission was not to overthrow Rome, but to overthrow sin and open the door of salvation to Jew and Gentile alike. Paul’s encounter reminds us that when God dismantles our expectations, it is never to leave us empty—it is to replace them with His far greater plan.

Reflection Thoughts:

• Saul’s blindness was a picture of his spiritual condition—God often uses moments of crisis to reveal our need for Him.

• Misguided expectations can keep us from recognizing God’s truth even when it is right before us.

• When God’s plans differ from ours, it is not a failure but an invitation to trust His higher ways.

Journaling Prompts:

1.    What is one expectation you’ve had that God has completely redefined?

2.    How do your expectations of God compare to what Scripture actually says about Him?

3.    Where might you be resisting God’s plan because it doesn’t match your vision?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for holding too tightly to my own expectations. When You choose a different path, help me to see it not as loss but as grace. Open my eyes to the fullness of Your truth and give me faith to trust that Your ways are higher than mine. Like Paul, transform my vision so that I see You for who You truly are. Amen.