Faith & Finance - Finding Hope in Seasons of Missed Expectations with Sharon Epps

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” - Lamentations 3:25

We all make plans, but life doesn’t always go as expected. Missed expectations can be painful, especially when we’ve done everything “right.” But even in the waiting, God is still at work. Sharon Epps joins us today to share how we can wait with faith and walk forward with hope.

Sharon Epps is the President of Kingdom Advisors, FaithFi’s parent organization. Kingdom Advisors serves the broad Christian financial industry by educating and equipping professionals to integrate biblical wisdom and financial expertise.

When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan

Whether it's the market underperforming, a medical bill that derails your finances, or family tension after a loved one’s passing, unmet expectations can leave us reeling. But the greatest missed expectation in human history was the cross. The disciples expected a triumphant king. Instead, they watched their Savior crucified. In Luke 19:37, they praised Him; days later, they scattered in despair.

In that gap between what we hoped for and what we received, we often wrestle with fear, frustration, or confusion. But it’s there, right in the void, that God meets us.

When our expectations are shattered, our reactions often fall into two extremes:

• Resignation: We lower our expectations to avoid disappointment, but in doing so, we risk losing hope altogether.
• Control: We force outcomes, striving and manipulating circumstances to regain a sense of stability.

Neither path leads to peace. Instead, God offers a different way: waiting, but not the passive, idle kind.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Biblical waiting is an active stance of trust. Pastor Kevin Queen once said, “The work God wants to do in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for.”

Sometimes, unmet expectations reveal that our desires need to be realigned. Other times, God uses the delay to do work in us or others that couldn’t happen any other way.

Practical Steps for Seasons of Waiting

Drawing from the book of Habakkuk, here are three practical steps for navigating seasons of waiting:

1. Acknowledge God is at work – Even if you can’t see it. Habakkuk 1:5 reminds us, “I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”
    
2. Change your perspective – Ask God to help you see things from His perspective. Sometimes, hope is just a matter of viewpoint.
    
3. Worship in the waiting – Worship reorients our hearts. It reminds us who God is and keeps us anchored in His character rather than our circumstances.

For those walking through d