Disappointed?

Happy Sunday!

Disappointment is defined as "sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations".  Read that definition one more time.  I will wait for you.

Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."(KJV).  In another translation it may be a little clearer.  "Hope postponed grieves the heart; but when a dream comes true, life is full and sweet."(Voice).  One more for good measure.  "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around"(Message).

In life so many times, things don't turn out like we thought they would!  Our family member died, we didn't get the job, or the promotion.  We did the right things and now we are suffering.  I'm sure you can fill in the blanks with other examples. Disappointment happens when our expectations and dreams don't materialize how, and when we want them to.  Deuteronomy 28:65 even describes disappointment as a part of the curse, "Among those nations you’ll never be at rest, and you’ll never be able to settle down. He will make your hearts tremble, your eyes fail from crying, and your soul languish from despair."(Voice).  Thank God we are Redeemed from the Curse of the Law!

How can we be free from the spirit of disappointment?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  Hebrews 4:2 says, "For this wonderful news—the message that God wants to save us—has been given to us just as it was to those who lived in the time of Moses. But it didn’t do them any good because they didn’t believe it. They didn’t mix it with faith."(Living Bible).  Don't miss this!  We can overcome disappointment by believing the Word, and mixing Faith with the Word.  We must remember, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"(Numbers 23:19, KJV).

The Prophet Elijah stood for God against the wicked King Ahab, and his evil wife, Jezebel.  He declared it would not rain, and for 3 years there was no rain.  He challenged the prophets of Baal, God rained down fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice, and Elijah ended up killing those 500 prophets.  Afterward, he received word of a threat on this life by Jezebel and fled.  He got so disappointed and depressed he sat under a tree and asked God to kill him.  Read it for yourself, "Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day, and sat down under a broom bush and prayed that he might die.  “I’ve had enough,” he told the Lord. “Take away my life. I’ve got to die sometime, and it might as well be now.”(1 Kings 19:4, Living Bible).  He'd forgotten the Word of God.  He'd forgotten what God had already done for him!  He'd forgotten that God is Always Faithful!

Don't let disappointment turn you against God, and against his Word.  Even if things don't turn out exactly like you want, go back to the Word.  Remind yourself of the wonderful promises, and trust that it is working for your good, and God's glory.

Love and prayers, Cynthia