Not being a connoisseur of fine art, I can count on one hand the times that I’ve been so transfixed by someone’s work that I felt this overwhelming desire to just be still and soak it all in. For me, this usually occurs when viewing the talents of gifted photographers like Megan Shaw and Shawn Pilkington on social media, and there is a need to slow the scroll and just absorb how beautifully they captured a moment. With all the amazing artists God has created throughout time, with Him being the greatest artist of all, I am awestruck when people are able to transfer their view into an exquisite present that is shared with us all to enjoy. And the gratitude seems to increase when there is a narrative provided, especially with some of the student art adorning the hallways at Union.
One of these poignant moments happened when approaching Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy, which was to be expected as I was viewing a masterpiece after all; however, the visceral reaction threw me off guard a bit. The second incidence was rather unexpected as I toured the Duc In Altum in Magdala, Israel, on the Sea of Galilee and moved into the Encounter Chapel. Spanning the curved wall is a larger-than-life painting by Chilean artist, Daniel Cariola, entitled The Encounter, which “portrays the image of a woman suffering 12 years from a bleeding disorder who reaches out to touch the corner of Jesus’ garment. Being impure, and likely an outcast, Jesus’ words and presence have a multi-layered healing effect. Jesus not only cures her physically, but offers her the ultimate healing gift, that of salvation. ‘Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.’ (Mark 5:34).”
Not only was I recently reminded of this stunning painting as I read The Passion Generation, but Skeldon dared me to consider this woman in a new light because she was Encountering Expectation. This woman had an expectation, even an assumption, that she would be healed simply by touching Jesus’ robe. Skeldon shares a friend’s perspective that “she had every reason to give up hope, but she refused to. She wouldn’t lose her expectation that God would change her circumstances, even after twelve years of pleading and no answer. The woman fights through the crowd, certain that if she simply touches Jesus, she’ll be healed. Well, she is right. After touching his robe, immediately she is healed.”
Where Skeldon challenges me the most, and a concept introduced in Audacious Imaginations and Tiptoes of Expectation, is that sometimes I fail to expect or assume that because He hasn’t answered my prayer yet, that my petition will never be answered. Skeldon shares, “So it’s possible to be in the presence of God and receive nothing because we expect nothing. There’s a saying about why you shouldn’t assume. It makes something out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’ But God, it seems like he loves when we assume. We tend to assume the worst…Like he’s out to get us or he just doesn’t care. But he has a pattern of showing up when we assume his goodness and his strength…Nowhere in the Bible does it say, ‘If you touch his cloak, you will be healed.’ She just assumed. She expected it.” Oh, how often am I missing out because I lack an Encountering Expectation that God will show up and actually answer my prayer? What would it take to shift from assuming the worst to embracing expectation that He can do amazing things that I can’t even fathom? My default is to assume the worst in order to lessen the disappointment when something doesn’t unfold like I desire; however, if I believe in a God who can heal through a touch of his robe, why am I not reaching out in expectation like the woman in Bible?
Skeldon continues, “Sometimes God is slower than our timing. Sometimes he is faster than our timing. But he is always better than our timing. Just don’t lose hope. Don’t lose expectation. And never stop assuming that he’s a good father who gives good gifts.” Thank you, Grant, for that important reminder. Is there an incident where you chose to Encounter Expectation and God answered your reaching out? Please feel free to share in the comments below.
References:
Holy Ghost Parish. (2020). The Encounter. Retrieved from http://www.holyghostparish.org/history/article406277c7928562.htm
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