Exceeded Expectations
Watch or listen to
the full sermon here.
Preached by Pastor Mike Woodard
Follow The Valley Church
We’ve all been there — standing in the painful gap between what we expected and what actually happened. Life rarely goes as planned. Whether it’s a relationship that fell apart, a dream that didn’t come to life, or a prayer that seems unanswered, unmet expectations are something every one of us has faced.
But what if God’s silence doesn’t mean absence? What if the gap between expectation and reality is the exact space where His power is revealed?
In our series Picking Up the Pieces, we’ve learned that God’s power is made perfect in weakness and that He reveals His heart through our pain. But as we conclude this series, there’s another truth we can’t overlook — God still has the power to intervene, heal, and exceed our expectations.
He’s not just the God who comforts us when things fall apart — He’s also the God who can put the pieces back together in a way we never imagined.
The Story of Jairus and the Woman Who Reached for Jesus (Luke 8)
In Luke 8, we meet two people with very different stories but one shared experience — deep desperation and unmet expectations.
A synagogue leader named Jairus comes to Jesus, begging Him to heal his dying 12-year-old daughter. Desperate and out of options, he falls at Jesus’ feet, risking his reputation to reach for hope. Jesus agrees to go with him — but on the way, the crowd is so thick it’s like a mosh pit, and everything stops when another desperate soul interrupts.
A woman who had been suffering for 12 years pushes through the same crowd to touch the edge of Jesus’ robe. Instantly, she’s healed.
This moment is powerful — not just because of the healing, but because of how Jesus responds. Instead of shaming her for breaking social and religious rules, He calls her “daughter” — the only time He ever uses that term in all of Scripture — and says, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
But while this woman celebrates, Jairus watches his worst fear unfold. His daughter dies while Jesus is delayed.
When It Feels Like Jesus Forgot You
Imagine Jairus in that moment — crushed, confused, and heartbroken. His expectations were shattered. Jesus had said “yes,” but the miracle seemed to go to someone else.
Many of us know that feeling.
You prayed, but the healing didn’t come.
You believed, but the door didn’t open.
You waited, but the answer didn’t arrive.
In that tension, Jesus turns to Jairus and says words that speak across the centuries to us today:
“Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50)
It’s as if He’s saying, “I know what you see, but remember who I am.”
Unmet Expectations Can Become Exceeded Expectations — In God’s Timing
Jesus eventually reaches Jairus’ house. The crowd is mourning, and when Jesus says the girl isn’t dead but only sleeping, they laugh. But Jesus proves that what looks dead in the natural isn’t dead in His hands. He takes her by the hand and says, “Child, get up.”
Immediately, she rises.
Jairus thought he’d see a healing — instead, he witnessed a resurrection.
His unmet expectation became an exceeded expectation, not in his timing, but in God’s.
That’s how God works.
He doesn’t always move the way we expect, but He always moves with purpose.
He doesn’t always act when we want, but He’s never late.
He doesn’t always take the path we imagined, but His way is always better.
Seeing with Eyes of Faith
Maybe you’re standing in the gap today. The dream feels dead. The relationship seems over. The healing hasn’t come. The finances don’t add up.
But what if God’s perspective is different? What if what you see as dead is only asleep?
Don’t lose hope in the waiting.
Don’t laugh at what God can do.
Don’t give up on believing for more.
Because just like Jairus, you may find that your unmet expectation becomes an exceeded expectation — in God’s perfect timing.
“Nothing is impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37
Key Takeaway
God will either change your circumstance or use your circumstance, but He will never ignore you in the middle of it. Keep believing. Keep praying. Keep trusting that the same God who brought resurrection to Jairus’ house can bring restoration to your life.