Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord to whom shall we go?" ...
John 6:67-68
Jesus didn't promise to make our lives easier. He didn't come to solve all our problems and make all our dreams come true. He didn't say that He would answer all our questions and make everything make sense to us. Those are not the promises of Jesus. Jesus came to save us from sin and its power in our lives. Jesus came to "heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed." (Luke 4:18)
The problem with coming to the Lord with false expectations is that when things don't turn out the way that we think they should, then we give up and quit. This is what Jesus was facing in John 6. There were people following Jesus who had false expectations. They were expecting Jesus to take care of them physically. (John 6:26) They were expecting Jesus to overthrow the government. (John 6:15). Jesus wasn't about that and when He told them what He was really all about, the stopped following Him.
We should not preach the gospel of "Jesus is going to make everything all right." That is not the good news that will help people in this life. This world is under the sway of the wicked one--the devil. We are told not to love this world or the things in it--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--are things that cause us abundant problems and separate us from God. The wicked one is waging a war against the saints. He will use every trick he can to destroy our faith.
Life is going to be hard. We are going to face trials of all sorts. We are going to fail at times. We are going to have heartache. We are going to wonder "Why?". Its okay to feel broken and hurt. That is when God meets us. He is near to those who have broken and contrite heart. He promises to be with us! He promises to never leave us nor forsake us! He promises strength for the journey! He promises eternal life with Him forever! Those are not false expectations but exceedingly great and precious promises from Him who loves us!
Blessings to you!
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