A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
The woman below replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”
“You must be an engineer,” said the balloonist.
“I am,” replied the woman, “How did you know?”
“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”
The woman below responded, “You must be in Management.”
“I am,” replied the balloonist, “but how did you know?”
“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault.” (Andrew Chan, www.SermonCentral.com)
I love that story, because it is so real. When things go wrong, a lot of people play the blame game, but that doesn’t help anyone.
There’s a better way to handle disappointment, and if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Exodus 5, Exodus 5, where we see how God helps Moses handle a major set-back in their plan to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness’” (ESV).
Now, this was not an unreasonable request. Egypt had enslaved other desert peoples, who were known to make sudden departures for a pilgrimage to some desert shrine. In fact, ancient Egyptian records speak about absenteeism among the workers for these kinds of festivals. Well, Moses is just asking the same favor for the Israelites. You see, Moses is testing the waters here. He knows Pharaoh won’t let the Israelites go forever, but perhaps he might let them go for a 3-day religious festival as he does for other slaves. How does Pharaoh respond?
Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go” (ESV).
Pharaoh has no regard for Israel’s God. He may recognize other gods and allow his slaves to worship them, but not Israel’s God.
Exodus 5:3-5 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!” (ESV)
“The people of the land” is a derogatory term for commoners as opposed to nobility, and they were 2 to 3 million people at this time. There is no way Pharaoh is going to give 2 to 3 million of his workers time off at the same time, so he refuses their request. Then he increases their labor.
Exodus 5:6-7 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves (ESV).
Straw was used to reinforce the bricks. They would mix the straw into the mud, so the bricks wouldn’t fall apart after they dried in the sun. Usually the slave drivers provided straw for the slaves to use. Now, the slaves would have to find their own straw, and yet with this added work, still make the same number of bricks.
Exodus 5:8-9 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words” (ESV).
Pharaoh doubts their intention to worship. He believes the slaves only want to get out of work.
Exodus 5:10-18 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’ ” So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?” Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks” (ESV).
Things get much worse for the Israelites, so they do what many people do—they look for someone to blame.
Exodus 5:19-21 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us” (ESV).
They basically tell Moses, “It’s all your fault.” Instead of making things better for the Israelites, Moses has succeeded in only making things worse. So what does Moses do? He too looks for someone to blame.
Exodus 5:22-23 Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all” (ESV).
The Israelites blame Moses, and Moses blames God for all the trouble they’re in, but what good does that do? It doesn’t do anybody any good—not Moses, not the Israelites. And it doesn’t do US any good, either. So when things don’t go as you planned…
REFUSE TO BLAME GOD OR ANYBODY ELSE.
Set aside looking for someone to criticize. Reject resorting to accusation and condemnation, because it’s a complete waste of time.
Several years ago (May 2016), an Israeli man petitioned the court for a restraining order against God. Mr. David Shoshan, the plaintiff, represented himself at a court hearing in Haifa, a port city in the north of Israel. Records noted that God was not present to defend himself. (No doubt, God was present but didn't feel a need to defend himself).
Mr. Shoshan told the court that God had been treating him “harshly and not nicely”—though he gave no specific details about what exactly had happened to make him feel this way. Mr. Shoshan also explained that he had made several attempts to contact police to report God's alleged crimes with patrol cars showing up at his house at least 10 times. After a while, police advised Shoshan to try taking out a restraining order.
However, the presiding judge Ashan Canaan denied Shoshan’s request for a restraining order, proclaiming the request “delusional.” (Elsa Vulliamy, “Man seeks restraining order against God,” Independent, 5-6-16; www.PreachingToday.com).
So it is when people try to blame God for their problems. Oh, they may not accuse God in a court of law, but they’re just as delusional as Mr. Shoshan. So when trouble and disappointment comes your way, refrain from blaming God. Instead…
BELIEVE GOD.
Rely on the Lord. Depend on who He is and on what He has said.
That’s how God helps Moses deal with the disappointment in his life. God reminds Moses of who He is and what He has said.
Exodus 6:1-5 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD [YHWH, the I AM] I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant (ESV).
Moses had asked the question, “Why?” (Exodus 5:22). But God answers the question, “Who?” God reminds Moses that He is the Almighty I AM, who knows Israel’s trouble and will be faithful to His covenant.
So it is when you face disappointment and your plans get derailed. You don’t need to know the answer to the question WHY as much as you need to be reminded about WHO God is.
In other words, in the midst of your disappointment, just rely on God’s person. Depend on His character. Trust Him for who He is.
When our daughter, Elizabeth, was seven years old, we had to take her to the doctor’s office for some blood tests. On the way, mom explained to her that the doctor was going to take some blood and that it would hurt, but it was necessary so they could find out what was making her feel so bad. We always had a policy with our children to explain the reasons why certain things had to be done, so mom was doing her best to explain medical procedures to a 7-year-old. Well, when the nurse got out the needle to draw blood, Elizabeth no longer cared about the reason why. She just wanted her momma and clung to her like super glue.
You see, real comfort does not come in knowing the reason why. It comes in knowing the Comforter, the Almighty I AM Himself. So cling to the Lord when you face disappointment. Trust Him for who He is. Rely on His person.
Then rely on God’s promises. Depend on what God has said. Trust in His Word. As God reassures Moses about His person, He also reassures Moses about His promises.
Exodus 6:6-8 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I WILL bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I WILL deliver you from slavery to them, and I WILL redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I WILL take you to be my people, and I WILL be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I WILL bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I WILL give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD’” (ESV).
I am YHWH, the I AM, who keeps His promises. Count on it! That’s what God is saying to Moses, and that’s what God says to you in your disappointment.
First, rely on God’s promise of redemption. In verse 6, God says, “I WILL bring you out… I WILL deliever you… I WILL redeem you…”
In the Hebrew, God is saying I will be your Goel, i.e., your Family Protector. Now, the job of the Family Protector in Hebrew society was to rescue family members when they got into trouble. If they had to sell some property to pay their debts, the Family Protector purchased the property back for his family. If they had to sell themselves into slavery, the Family Protector paid the price to buy them out of slavery. And if a family member was murdered, the Family Protector went after the murderer to eliminate any further threats to the family. The Family Protector was a close relative who took care of His family, and that’s what God promises to be for us, His family.
For Israel, God says, “I will free you from slavery to the Egyptians and eliminate their threat forever. For believers today, God says, “I will free you from slavery to sin and eliminate its threat forever in your lives.” God is our Redeemer – our Goel – our Family Protector. And He paid a high price rescue us out of our slavery.
1 Peter 1 says, “You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
God paid the price of His own Son’s shed blood on the cross to purchase our freedom. Now, all we need to do is depend on Him to experience that freedom from sin. Like God asks Moses to do, trust Him with your life. Depend on your Family Protector, your Redeemer, your Goel.
Ree is a single mom, struggling with the rising cost of living. She says she feels “stressed and upset” most days. Less than a year ago (May 2023), she told Yahoo News Australia that she was feeling anxious at the prospect of making ends meet before visiting her local Woolworths store.
When she checked out, she had to discard several items, because she “couldn’t afford” them. However, she said, “The lady behind me asked the cashier to ring up everything I had put back because she was going to pay for them for me.”
After thanking the stranger and explaining that payment wasn't necessary, the stranger insisted on buying the discarded items for Ree. The stranger said she knew how it felt to not be able to pay for things in the past.
In a time of emotional turmoil, the stranger's kind act had a profound impact on Ree—one that she struggles to articulate. When a reporter asked what it meant to her, she simply replied, “Everything. From the bottom of my heart thank you for making a truly awful situation so much easier in the moment. I walked out crying.” (Sophie Coghill, “Stranger's kind act for struggling mum at Woolworths: 'Walked out crying',” Yahoo News Australia, 5-22-23; www.PreachingToday.com).
When all of us were spiritually bankrupt, Jesus stepped up and fully paid the price for us on the cross. Please, accept the payment He made for your sins. Stop blaming God and start believing in Him. Rely on His promise of redemption.
Then rely on God’s promise of a relationship. Depend on God’s commitment that you belong to Him.
In verse 7, God says, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” God promises Israel that He will enter into a personal relationship with them, and God says the same thing about everyone who believes in Christ.
In 1 Peter 2, the Bible says of every believer, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
You who have trusted Christ “belong to God.” You are His and He is yours, so you can depend on Him even in the middle of the storms of your life.
A long time ago, a navy officer and his wife were on board a ship that got caught in a terrible storm in the middle of the ocean. The wife was frantic, but the man who had been through such storms before remained very calm. He tried to comfort his wife, but she was inconsolable.
Suddenly, she grasped his sleeve and cried, “How can you be so calm?”
He stepped back a few feet and drew his sword. Pointing it at her heart, he said, “Are you afraid of this?”
Without hesitation, she answered, “Of course not.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because it’s in your hand,” she said, “and you love me too much to hurt me.”
Then the man told her, “I know the One who holds the winds and the waters in the hollow of His hand, and He will surely care for us!”
You see, God loves you too much to hurt you. Instead, He only designs the storms of life to help you. So in your disappointments, Refuse to blame God. Instead, believe God. First, rely on His promise of redemption. Second, rely on His promise of a relationship.
And third, rely on God’s promise of a realm. Depend on God’s commitment to give every believer a wonderful inheritance in His Kingdom.
In verse 8, God says to Israel, “I will bring you into the land that I swore to give Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.”
God promised Israel a glorious future, and He has promised an even better future to everyone who believes in His Son.
1 Peter 1 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
That’s something you can count on even though, as 1 Peter 1 goes on to say, “You have been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
During the days of the Great Depression, a man lost his job, his wife and his home. All he had left was his faith.
Then one day, he stopped to watch some men building a stone church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock.
“What are you going to do with that?” asked the man.
The workman replied, “Do you see that little opening way up there near the spire? I’m shaping this down here so that it will fit up there.”
That’s what God is doing for those who trust in His Son. He shapes them down here so they’ll fit up there in heaven. Just trust Him in your trial. Rely on His promise of redemption. Rely on His promise of a relationship, and rely on His promise of a realm—a place in His Kingdom.
In your disappointment, refuse to blame God. Instead, believe God. Then…
GET BACK TO WORK.
Return to the task at hand. Continue to pursue the call God gave you to begin with. That’s what God tells Moses to do.
Exodus 6:9-13 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. So the LORD said to Moses, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” But Moses said to the LORD, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt (ESV).
Moses is still not sure he is going to succeed, but God tells Him, “Go back to Pharaoh and tell him to let My people go.” In other words, the call hasn’t changed just because there is a setback.
And that’s what God would say to you, as well. God’s will doesn’t change just because there is an obstacle. So get back to work, and keep on pursuing the task God has given you to do.
Sir Edmund Hillary made several unsuccessful attempts at scaling Mount Everest before he finally succeeded. After one attempt he stood at the base of the giant mountain and shook his fist at it. “I'll defeat you yet,” he said in defiance. “Because you're as big as you're going to get, but I'm still growing.”
Hillary didn’t let a mountain stop him. In fact, every time he climbed he failed, but every time he failed, he learned. And every time he learned, he grew and tried again. And one day he did not fail (John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat, Zondervan 2001; www.PreachingToday.com).
My dear friends, don’t let setbacks stop you from climbing the mountain God has called you to climb. Instead, learn from each setback, and by faith, keep on climbing.
Refuse to blame God in your disappointment. Instead, believe in Him and get back to work.
I like the way Carol Kent put it after her only son was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In her book, A New Kind of Normal, she writes:
When despair tries to take me under… I choose life.
When I wonder what God could possibly be thinking… I choose trust.
When I desperately want relief from unrelenting reality… I choose perseverance.
When I feel oppressed by my disappointment and sorrow… I choose gratitude.
When I want to keep my feelings to myself… I choose vulnerability.
When nothing goes according to my plan… I choose relinquishment.
When I want to point the finger… I choose forgiveness.
When I want to give up… I choose purposeful action (Carol Kent, A New Kind of Normal, Thomas Nelson, 2007; www.PreachingToday.com).
What will you choose in the midst of your disappointment today?
