Psalm 62:5/KJV
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Have you ever thought about the requirements we’ve established for others in our minds? Or maybe even our standards for ourselves? On what foundation are we determining our needs? Are they biblical principles rooted in love? Or are they various trendy things we’ve heard people speak of that are appealing? Perhaps they are things we’ve never had and desire.
In any event, people often fall short of our expectations, and those expectations differ by our individual life experiences and the wisdom and knowledge we have gained over time. Therefore, we need to seek and apply God’s wisdom regarding the standards we hold for others. We need to recognize when they are present or absent in a person, the patience, tact, and leading of His Holy Spirit being important in accomplishing this.
People cannot provide what they do not have, and when they do have it, it may not have been exercised to full maturity. Getting God’s perspective on how to relate to one’s friends, spouses, children, coworkers, etc., and how to pray for them is a great start to better relationships.
The Lord knows what we all need in terms of our behavior toward others in ways no one else does. He is faithful to warn us of any dangers that we may cause or welcome from others. Further, He will remind us of any boundaries we need to set. So we need to get quiet before Him and listen for His guidance, daily reading His Bible to gain knowledge of His ways.
While contemplating whether someone is meeting our personal standards, it would be helpful to consult God on His, and how He relates to us in meeting them. Are our expectations of others determined by God’s love, wisdom, and grace? The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us with this, but we must allow humility and patience to work as God leads.
So with our prayers, we place our trust in Him to meet His expectations in us and others. When we pray the best for others as well as ourselves, we are enabling the highest power to meet our needs. We aren’t relying on our own ways of getting what we want from others, but on His ways of accomplishing His will for us all.
