Disappointments

Sermon by Pr. Paddick Van Zyl

3 Oct 2014

Title: Disappointments

Intro:

Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows the failure of expectations or hopes to manifest. Similar to regret, it differs in that a person feeling regret focuses primarily on the personal choices that contributed to a poor outcome, while a person feeling disappointment focuses on the outcome itself. It is a source of psychological stress.# Wikipedia

Why do we get disappointed in life?

Is God out to disappoint us and make us miserable?

Text:

Luke 8:49-50 NKJV

Romans 5:5

Sermon:

Let me emphatically state: NO!, God is not out to get us, make us miserable or disappoint us. That is the work and agenda of the enemy. God has a plan for u to bless and prosperous us as Jeremiah 29 verses 11-12 declares.

As Max Lucado says: 'disappointment reminds us what we hoped would happen, didn’t.'^

Why do we experience disappointments in life?

*As a result of our own doing- decisions and choices made without consulting the Lord: David & Bathseba Jer. 29:11-12

*As a result of other's thoughtless actions and people's ignorant thoughtlessness - Jacob, Essau and Rebekah Gen 25:29-34 & Gen 27

*When we become stagnant and doors close as a result of our comfort zone being shaken - the Lord nudging us to move forward and change course - Jonah

*It is part of life and a broken world eg: death - Lazarus, Mary & Martha John 11

We can decide to either let disappointments propel us forward or derail us.

'Our heavenly Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He's sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted this as an absolute truth in my life, I found that my worrying stopped.'### Charles Stanley

Depression, is sometimes, as a result of dissapoinmnet as Joyce Meyers says:

'Depression begins with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to discouragement.'####

A couple that faced major dissapoinment and hurt are the Bayly's:

'Joseph Bayly, author and his wife Mary Lou lost three of their children – one at eighteen days (after surgery); another at five years (leukemia); a third at eighteen years (sledding accident plus hemophilia). Each time the wave of grief pounded their shore – tears flowed.The pain of illness, disease, war, rejection, desertion, financial reversal, death, and more, leaves a person suffering, stunned, questioning “Why? Why me? Why now? Why this?” Pain arrests our attention. It brings us to a halt and forces us to reevaluate, to reconsider, and often to revise our priorities. We don’t need stale answers and pious platitudes; we need God. All believers will pass through various trials. Regardless of the origin, God can and does use suffering to accomplish His will in us.'#####

In our text, the dad of the little girl was disappointed at the news of his daughter having died yet he chose to let the words of Jesus propel his faith and trust for a miracle and he received his daughter back to life.

As Joyce Meyers says: 'Deep hurt doesn't just come from huge disappointments, like when we fail to get the job or promotion we really wanted. Deep emotional hurt can come from a series of minor annoyances and frustrations. That's why we must know how to handle the small, daily disappointments and keep them in perspective. Otherwise, they can get out of hand and be blown out of proportion.'^^

Even though disappointment may have struck and ruined things in your life, God stays faithful and can bring beauty out of the ashes:

'No matter how educated we are, no matter how much power and influence we may think we have, no matter how long we have walked with Him, no matter how significant we may imagine ourselves to be in His plan . . . none of that qualifies us to grasp the first particle of why He does what He does when He does it and how He chooses to do it.

The amazing thing is that even in the midst of disappointment, surprise, and mystery, you will discover how very reliable and trustworthy God is—and how secure you are in His hands.

Puzzling as the process may be to us, He stays with His plan. There is no need for us to know all the reasons, and He certainly doesn't need to explain Himself.' ¤

Close:

Joel Osteen says: 'You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.' ##