05252019 Disappointment

Dear Missionary Lady,

On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember the U.S. soldiers who gave their lives in the service of their country. While ultimately their sacrifice contributed to victory, individually their loss was difficult for their family and friends, who were not able to welcome their loved ones home again after the war.

Disappointment can be hard to deal with.  Some disappointment comes when something we want doesn't happen. When we have looked forward to something, when our hearts have longed for it, and when our plans have rested on it, it is difficult to see our hope dashed. Other disappointment comes when something we didn't want does happen. A death, betrayal, abandonment, or failure can sicken our hearts as we feel the loss of opportunity or the waste of time invested.

We can be disappointed in ourselves, in others, in circumstances, but the one source where we can never direct our disappointment is to God. Our hearts can be tempted to be disappointed in God when He does not do what we want Him to do when we want Him to do it, but if we are thinking properly, we realize that we can never be disappointed in God.

The difficulty is that we know God is sovereign over all things, so when something bad happens (or something good doesn't happen), we want to assume it is God's fault. We forget there are other principles that also come into play.

For example, we live in an imperfect world. That's not God's fault; that's man's fault. We have damaged the perfect world He created, and sometimes those damages result in disappointment: broken health, death, natural disasters, weather-related challenges. These are part of life on this fallen planet.

There is also the concept of human sin and weakness. God has given man a free will. He doesn't want men to reject Him, but many do. The disappointment of a backslidden believer or a wayward child is not God's fault. Other people will fail us or won't be able to meet our expectations simply because they are imperfect.

There is also our own imperfection. Our disappointment might stem from a poor decision we made without godly wisdom. Maybe we impatiently rushed ahead of God or allowed our emotions to guide us. We can have an overall right heart with God and a fundamental desire to follow His plan, but still make human errors.

Disappointment comes from at least these reasons, but never because God fails. But there are situations where we might not be able to see one of those fallen sources as the reason for disappointment. Our evaluation shows that there is no reason why God could not have done as we expected; He just chose not to.

Ah, now the problem is that we don't think like God and, in fact, can't think like God. When we are disappointed, it means that we don't understand things the way God understands them. We don't know how He is working, and we don't see what He is going to accomplish. God will always do what He has promised, but sometimes we set our hopes on something that God has not promised - maybe a good thing, maybe a desired blessing - but maybe something that God never promised or intended to do.

"Why not?" we ask. "It would have been such a good thing." But God knows how to accomplish His purposes better than we do. His ways are not our ways. We don't even know specifically what God's purposes are in each situation. God is far more interested in producing Christ-likeness in us and in building our faith and in bringing glory to Himself than He is in working out specific life or ministry objectives. Sometimes His objectives are best accomplished through disappointment. It is so easy for us to focus on individual, temporal objectives, while God focuses on broader scale, eternal objectives.

And then there is this wonder. Even in and through the disappointments, God is working good. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Within His plan, God uses even disappointments in ways that we may not see to bring about His good purposes. Sometimes that is so His later answer is so amazing that He receives even more praise. Sometimes it is because the godly character and endurance that He wants to work in us could not be accomplished any other way.

At any rate, God is always right in His character and in everything He ever does. God is always faithful. God never does the wrong thing or fails to do the right thing. Nothing slips past His oversight or control. His love will not allow His children to be hurt without purpose. Yes, disappointments come in life, but never let it be said, "God let me down." He can't do that.

While it is true that "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12), it is also true that "He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). God cares very much about the hurts of our hearts, and the God who is love and the God of all comfort gives His healing and support in the hard times.

Did you face a disappointment this week? Can you rest in the wisdom of God? Can you heal through His love and comfort? Can you trust Him to do the right thing? Praise the God who is good and does good (Psalm 119:68).

Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com