“You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Syria till you destroyed them, but now you will strike Syria only three times.” – 2 Kings 13:19

Have you ever walked into a meeting with low expectations and left disappointed? Or perhaps you’ve attended gatherings where others seemed to receive breakthrough after breakthrough while you left empty-handed? What made the difference?

The story of King Joash reveals something important about spiritual gatherings. 

2 Kings 13:15-19
New King James Version
15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 

16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 

17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.”

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 

19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.” 

This is the reality many believers face today. We approach times of refreshing with the same disposition we bring to our routine activities, then wonder why we leave the same. But here’s what you must understand: the difference between two people in any special meeting can be expectation. When expectation and hunger meet the power of God, there are endless possibilities.

Scripture is filled with people who understood the power of expectation. The woman with the issue of blood fought through crowds because she believed that just touching Jesus’ garment would heal her.

Mark 5:28
New King James Version
28 “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

Her expectation was so specific, so focused, that it drew healing power from Jesus even in a crowd. Have you set this kind of focus yet for camp meeting? That you come believing “If only I can show up”, “If only I can pray”, “if only I can listen to the teachings, I’m sure my life would change!”


Others around Jesus at that time were probably looking for material things like food. Many others were sick, many troubled but what if they all set their expectations on encountering Jesus the same way she did?


The Centurion had such faith that he told Jesus in Luke 7:7
New King James Version
7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

His expectation was so complete that he understood Jesus didn’t even need to be physically present for the miracle to happen.
The Syrophoenician woman’s faith was so intense that when Jesus initially seemed to refuse her request, she pressed in further.
Matthew 15:27 records her response: “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Her expectation moved Jesus to declare in verse 28,

“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”

Even in the early church, expectation drove innovation in receiving from God.

Acts 5:15 tells us that
New King James Version
15 they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

And in Acts 19:11-12,
New King James Version
11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

These weren’t biblical instructions—they were born from desperate expectation that found creative ways to connect with God’s power. You can, by expectation, direct the power of God.

King Joash’s mistake wasn’t that he didn’t follow instructions—he did exactly what the prophet said. His error was in his approach. He struck the ground casually, without intensity, without hunger, without the desperation that says, “I must have all that God has for me.”

How many times have you approached retreats the same way? You show up, you participate, but there’s no fire in your expectation. No sense that your breakthrough depends on how you position yourself in that moment.

The Hebrew translation of wait—Qavah, means expectant hope, to anticipate with intensity. It’s not passive waiting; it’s aggressive expectation. This is what separates those who leave meetings transformed from those who leave unchanged.

So, how then do you set your expectations?

Check your motives.
James 4:3 says
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

What’s driving your desire for breakthrough? Is it truly to express God in His fullness, or is it for personal pride and status? 

Psalm 37:4
New King James Version
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart”—because your desires align with His.

Come with the right attitude.
Your disposition determines how you participate in God’s presence. You must enter the spirit of the atmosphere to raise your expectation. Don’t just attend—participate. Don’t just show up—engage. Your attitude is the gateway through which God’s power flows into your situation.

Cultivate hunger.
The Ethiopian eunuch was so hungry for understanding that God caused Philip to go to his chariot. Cornelius was so hungry for truth that an angel appeared to direct him to Peter. Hunger gets God’s attention. When you’re desperate for transformation, heaven responds to that desperation.

Write down your expectations.
Mark 11:24 says,
24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Don’t just hope for change—be specific about what you expect God to do. Write it down. Pray over it. Let your faith become focused and intentional.

As you prepare for your camp meeting, ask yourself: Will I be like King Joash, striking the ground casually and limiting my victory? Or will I approach with the intensity of someone who knows that their breakthrough is within reach?

There’s something that can be formed in you when you wait with expectation. You can be different. You can be the one who strikes the ground many times. You can be the one who leaves transformed.

Prayer Point
Father, I refuse to approach camp meeting casually. I stir up expectations for all that You have for me. Let my expectation be so intense that it creates room for Your power to flow. I will not be satisfied with only a part—I want everything You have ordained for this season of my life.