Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
This passage of scripture teaches us that we can expect certain things of God when we pray, and it is true that our expectations become more reasonable as we study His ways, as manifested in His word. The idea that God is not dependable is entirely without merit, because trust in Him can only be built upon the premise that He can be depended on to do what he has promised, as is clearly stated in the scriptures. But it is important for us to manage our expectations properly, for in many instances, what we look forward to is hinged upon terms and conditions that must be fulfilled, in order for God to deliver that which was promised. What causes some of us to become discouraged is when we do not receive the answers we were looking for, but in many of these cases the prerequisites were not put in place, and therefore God could not deliver according to our expectations.
The sin of presumption manifests itself when we expect what God has not promised, or when the terms and conditions of answered prayer are deliberately disregarded, and there are several instances in the Bible that demonstrate this point. For instance, when King Saul chose to walk contrary to the plain commands of God, by consulting with the witch of Endor, he soon afterward expected God to deliver him in the battle against the Philistines. But this expectation of his was both false and presumptuous, for there is no promise written in the Bible that assures us of God's presence when we deliberately choose to disregard His word or His instructions, neither is it reasonable for us to expect deliverance or answers to our petitions, if we view His statutes and laws with disdain. Especially was this the case with king Saul, who violated what The Lord had plainly stated pertaining to the practice of witchcraft and similar satanic arts. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
And so it is that king Saul could not reasonably expect victory, after disobeying this plain instruction, neither should anyone expect God's intervention in their behalf if any of these forbidden practices are deliberately indulged, for the promises of God have both negative and positive connotations, depending on whether we choose to obey or rebel, as was manifested in the untimely demise of the king. Let's read:
1st Samuel 31:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. 4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. 5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
There is a pseudo gospel being peddled across much of North America which teaches its subscribers to expect answers to prayers that are offered to God, while His commandments are looked upon as being irrelevant or not pertaining to us. It is commonly taught in many protestant churches and evangelical circles that God's law of ten commandments were for the ancient Jews only, and have long since been nailed to the cross by Christ's death on Calvary, and therefore they are not incumbent upon contemporary Christians. This doctrine ultimately leads its adherents to the sin of presumption, by making requests to God whilst trampling upon His law, something which is described in the Bible as being an abomination. Let's read:
Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
It is very important when managing our expectations from God that we be careful to fulfill the terms and conditions of His promises, for when this is done, we can confidently look forward to God's answer in the affirmative, for what He has promised, He will certainly fulfill in due season, once the conditions are met. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this very sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we look forward with earnest desire and expectation when we pray in sincerity and in truth. Let's read:
Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Let us therefore surrender ourselves to God, and make the necessary changes where applicable, so that we can serve him in confidence and full assurance of answered prayer, when we take our petitions before the throne of grace. "Good night" and God bless!