What do you expect? Zephaniah 1:12 warns against the complacent, those who have neutral expectations, “Who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’” Note that these aren’t atheists being talked about. These are citizens of Jerusalem who worship the Lord in his holy temple (Micah 1:2, Habakkuk 2:20). Neutral expectations are a dangerous thing, as the prophet calls out the complacent. Living life with zero expectation of God being at work puts us at spiritual peril. What if you had no expectations about changing oil in your car? You don’t expect anything good would come of doing it, and nothing bad would happen if you didn’t. We know this to be dangerously untrue! Bad things happen to the engine and shorten the life of the vehicle if we don’t do this maintenance task. Good things also happen if we attend to such chores. Let’s be realistic though: changing oil in your minivan won’t turn it into a Mustang, nor will it turn a Cobalt into a Corvette. Changing oil doesn’t mean you won’t get into a car accident and have your vehicle totaled. Those concerns can still exist, but let’s focus on the expectations that are within our direct ability to influence. We should not have neutral expectations but rather set specific expectations. If we never tell someone how we feel or if we bottle up everything that bothers us, what do we expect? If parents want their children to grow up to follow Jesus and to be invested in a church but don’t model it or demonstrate it as a priority in their own lives, what do we expect? Granted, some parents do their absolute best, and expect to see Proverbs 22:6 lived out, but it doesn’t prevent some children from drifting away. Set your specific expectations, and then live into them. Make sure that you expect to see God at work in your life and in the world. What we look for, we tend to see. What we listen for, we tend to notice. Expect to see God. This doesn't control God, but our expectations being set helps us in self-control and self-discipline. The athlete who practices and the musician who rehearses expect growth. We ought to expect that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us (James 4:8). Zephaniah expects that those who worship the Lord and Molek will face consequences (Molek is the god that you worshiped with human sacrifice, especially children). This shouldn’t be a surprise if our expectations are set. We cannot expect gold or silver to rescue us either (Zeph. 1:18). Zephaniah expects consequences in this life for idolatry, complacency, and drifting away from God. Yet Zephaniah also expects great things: to see a remnant of those who have humbled themselves before God to survive, endure, and ultimately thrive; they will not be afraid, for in feasting and rest the Lord will watch over them and bring them home (3:12-13). Zephaniah sets expectations and lives into them. How about you? - Pastor Steven