THE PAIN OF DISAPPOINTMENTS
"23 “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand." Acts 7:23-25.
Years before God called him into ministry, Moses desired to give a helping hand to the oppressed children of Israel in Egypt. Even though he was a Hebrew like the rest, but he had been adopted in infancy by Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses was conscious of his identity, and was willing to use his power, influence and position to change their situations. One day, he saw an Israelite being mistreated by an Egyptian. Filled with rage and a sense of justice, Moses defended the Israelite and killed the Egyptian. But they rejected him! The people he sacrificed his comfort and risked his life to help disappointed him. He was ridiculed, insulted, and misunderstood. His expectations that they would understand what he wanted to do for them were misunderstood. Moses motives was ill-received. The children of Israel in Egypt misread his actions and intentions. Indeed, feeling misunderstood hurts! It can be painful! David must have felt so disappointed as he kept trying to honor the King. Yet Saul viewed him as an enemy! He could not trust that David’s heart was pure. Nobody likes to be misunderstood. Hannah was misunderstood by Eli. Joseph was misunderstood by his family. Even Jesus was often misunderstood. It can be discouraging to be doing your utmost best and have others judge your message. You had good intentions and meant no harm, but somehow your words and actions have been misunderstood, or even twisted. Have you ever felt the pain of being misunderstood and disappointed by the people you love? Don't be discouraged. Be at peace. Refuse to be bitter. Don't give in to despair. Keep doing your best. Don't give up doing good. God knows your heart.
"16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." 2 Timothy 4:16-17.
Apostle Paul is in Rome, imprisoned in a dark cell and is about to become a martyr. He is not in prison for doing something unlawful. Paul's only crime is preaching the Gospel. As his court case draws near, he remembered the previous hearing and discouragement overwhelmed his heart. When he was called before the Roman authorities to make his first defense, no one supported him. Although Paul had labored and given himself in service to others, he was alone! At a time when he needed to draw strength from the prayer of believers, especially those in Rome, no one came forward to offer encouragement. Paul stood alone! They all disappointed him when he needed them most. Yet, he was not resentful, because the Lord was with him all through the trials. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:2. God's always near. You may not see Him or recognize His presence, but He's close to the broken hearted. You're not alone in your trials
HAS GOD LET YOU DOWN?
"22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Exodus 15:22-24.
It’s one thing to feel hurt and pained by the disappointment of others, but it is depressing when you feel God has disappointed you. After three days journey through the scorching heat of the desert, the children of Israel were tired, and thirsty. If they did not find water they were going to die! So you can imagine their joy when they found water. But their expectation quickly turned to disappointment when they tasted the water. It tasted bitter. So they called the place Marah! The word Marah means “bitter”. So the people grumble in a low voice. They murmur against God and Moses. Their hopes had been raised and dashed. Like a passing cloud, their expectations were shattered. The children of Israel complained when they arrived at Marah. So when you face your own Marah, how do you respond? When you are angry with God for disappointing you, do you murmur, complain and grumble? When God let you down, do you become bitter? The Lord is faithful! Trust Him. There is no Marah that He cannot heal. God heals broken hearts, too. Invite Jesus into your Marah.
"But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened." Luke 24:21.
These two disciples of Jesus were hopeful that He had come to liberate Israel from oppressive Roman rule. For three years, they poured their lives into following Him. The disciples built their lives on Jesus and His ministry. They left their homes, careers, and businesses to follow Jesus. They gave up everything in other to be His followers. These disciples had hoped that following Jesus would make their lives more fulfilling. But instead, He had been killed like a common criminal. The Saviour they had followed had been put to death on a cross. The two disciples felt Jesus had disappointed them.
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19.
The afflictions of the righteous may manifest itself in many ways: sickness, marital conflict, financial crisis, disappointment, trials, etc. Being a follower of Jesus does not mean we are exempted from troubles. John 15:20. Even when we are sold out to following Him, we'll still experience trials. But God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Deuteronomy 31:6. He loves us too much to abandon us. The situation you're going through may be hopeless, but in Christ there's always hope. He's not a mean God! Regardless of your situation, He can work through it to give you a hope and a future. God's ways are always better than ours. Isaiah 55:8-9. We may not always understand His ways, but we can always trust Him. His plan is always much better than what we may have “planned” for ourselves. God sees the bigger picture! He has your destiny in His hands. He sees the end from the beginning. God sees beyond what we can see. "There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand." Proverbs 19:21. He is faithful. God may be disappointing you now so He could set you up for a bigger purpose. Therefore, don't stop following! Hold on to hope that God is working behind the scenes. He'll never let the righteous fall. God won’t let you drown. Proverbs 3:5-6.
"13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:13-14.
WHAT'S DISAPPOINTMENT?
Everyone has expectations. We expect things from different sources. Disappointment is the feeling of sadness caused by the failure of one’s hopes or expectations. Everyone has experienced disappointments at one time or another. When things don't go the way we plan, it is normal to feel disappointment. We are disappointed by things, events, and people. Your church, company, school, and government will disappoint you. At times, people you love and admire may disappoint you. Circumstances will disappoint you. Often we disappoint God. Sometimes we’re disappointed by God. Disappointment fuels anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness. Bitterness kills faith, love, hope, and dreams. Bitterness prolongs pain. "17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:17-18.
If we remain in a state of disappointment for too long, it can turn into discouragement, despair, and even depression.
1. Turn to God. Focus on your relationship with Him. Develop deeper intimacy with Him. Get to know God better.
2. Acknowledge the disappointment. It’s okay to be angry, frustrated, and disappointed. Ephesians 4:26.
3. Forgive. It is the key to peace of mind. Matthew 6:14-15. Refuse to be bitter.
4. Don't take rash decision while angry. Let some time pass before you react.
5. Know who you are. Don’t let disappointment dim your view on who God is and who you are.
6. Avoid low self-esteem. Don’t allow a disappointment to determine your sense of self-esteem.
7. Learn from your them. Disappointments build character and patience.
8. Adjust your expectations. It can help to mitigate the feelings that come with disappointment.
9. Pray always. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22.
10. Watch what you lean on. Put your trust in God alone. Have a total and unconditional faith in God and His Word.
11. Read and meditate on the Word daily. The Word of God strengthens.
12. Give thanks always. No matter what you are going through, you can find something to be thankful for.
13. Praise and worship God. Worship frees your spirit of the troubles of this world. It helps you to place your unconditional trust in God. Praising and worshipping God reminds us of how good He really is. It helps build your faith.
14. Refuse to live in the past; move forward. Don’t wallow in your disappointment. Move forward. Dream again. Love again. Walk by faith again. Never allow the weight of discouragement to hold you down. Arise. Proverbs 24:16.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
We all know what it is that God expects from us. Yet we all have failed! When we fail, we feel guilt and shame. Yet our failures do not need to weigh us down. When we believe and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we need never worry again. So have you disappointed God today? Admit your failures. Repent, ask for forgiveness and change your ways. He is always ready to forgive, but we must never see that as a license to continue sinning. And when you're truly repentant He does not hold a grudge, but makes you a new person, so you can do the good things He planned for you. Stop carrying the burden of guilt. Stop condemning yourself. Arise from shame and guilt. God is not disappointed with you.
If you want to begin a deeper relationship with God or resume a broken relationship, say this: O God, I come to You today. I know I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save me and He resurrected on the third day. I repent of my sins and forsake them. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to Him today. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. O Lord, help me to let go of disappointments and to forgive those that have hurt and disappointed me, in Jesus name.
2. I know that I am holding resentment in my heart, keep me from all bitterness, O Lord, in Jesus name.
3. Father, heal my broken hearts and crushed spirits, in Jesus name.
4. O Lord, help us to release the past and continue moving forward, in Jesus name.
5. Father, help me to trust in You and not in myself or in well-intending people, in Jesus name.
6. Thank You, Lord, for answering my prayers.
