Disappointment is often like a gift that we never asked for. It hurts, it’s ugly, it feels confusing, awkward, and sometimes disorienting. It’s the “season” that won’t end. It’s when the direction we thought we had is gone. It’s when the prayer we prayed seems to become a corpse that needs to be buried. It’s the testing of our faith and the sifting of our hearts. But it’s not the end. It’s only the groundwork being laid for God to build His purposes in our lives. As we’re emptied of ourselves, God gives us more of Himself – to marvel at His beautiful character, to be amazed His death-conquering love in Christ Jesus, and to trust his sovereign faithfulness in every area of our lives. These are truly gifts from God, even though they may often feel like hidden treasure, at first.
As I’ve been reflecting on the past few years, here are just a few areas that God has consistently and patiently used disappointment for my sanctification and joy in Him:
God’s sovereignty means my surrender…
Disappointments are a call to surrender – our idol of control, our pride, and our trust in ourselves. My surrender means freedom to trust the One who is trustworthy. When our plans are crushed to a pulp, our hearts can rest in the reality that God is still working out His good purposes. His will is going to be done and my grip for control must loosen.
My feelings don’t change His faithfulness…
Disappointment hurts and can often be disorienting and with it come the temptation to let our hearts run wild with frustration. Our responsive emotions are often wrought with sin – anger, self-pity, and idolatry – but God is still faithful. There is never a moment that He wasn’t guiding every detail of my life in love. His present direction (even in the form of disappointment) can be our future comfort, because His plans our always for our good, “to give us hope and a future” even when it doesn’t feel like it (Jeremiah 29:11).
Sustaining grace is most clearly seen in moments of desperation…
His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our “having it together” is not a prerequisite for God to show His power to sustain us. We can expect God to meet us in our weakness, we can trust that grace will be there even in difficulty, and that in turn changes how we view trial. God doesn’t simply suffer us to deal with pain and weakness on our own… We have the promise of His hand upholding us (Psalm 119:117).
An eternal hope in hopeless situations…
Hope… Sometimes it can feel like such a foreign word in the midst of disappointment and difficulty. Where is my hope? Is it in things going the way I expect them to, or is it in my Heavenly Father’s love for me in Christ Jesus? Am I trusting in who God says He is, or what I see? We can put our hope in the landslide of circumstances, or we can stand on Christ the solid rock on which we will not be shaken (Psalm 62:2). While life may look hopeless and trusting may be a battle, we have an eternal hope that is secure in Jesus Christ – nothing that happens in our circumstances, no pain, and no trial can destroy it. And if God did the impossible by making damned sinners beloved children by the blood of Christ, we can trust that He is able to bring redemption in every circumstance we are called to walk through.
Hope in the Ashes 