I don’t like disappointment. You don’t either. Nobody does. And let’s be honest, waiting gets old— real old, real fast. In a co-writing session yesterday we talked about how hard it is to sit around the table at a small group study listening to others share about their answers to prayer. Of course, you’re legitimately happy for them, but inside you’re secretly praying, “When is it my turn?” “When is my day going to come?” You’re hoping for it, but the hard reality is that it may never come—at least in the way you imagined and in the time frame you so desperately want. We’ve all been there—if not, just wait.
I really wish every story in the Bible had a happy ending, but the truth is, the story for all of us throughout history is still being written because there are promises yet to be fulfilled. In our journey through life, we will experience ups and downs along the way, but the ultimate happy ending is coming. I think about John the Baptist and how he must have felt sitting in prison. We know he felt confused and I’m sure he was disappointed. I imagine he was doubting everything he had ever said and done regarding the coming Messiah. He sent a message to Jesus, but I imagine he was thinking something like this: “Are you really the Messiah or did I imagine all of this? If so, why am I in jail if you came to set the captives free?”
Faith and hope are intricately woven together. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It takes faith to hope that God is going to work everything out in our lives now and in the life to come for our good and His glory. It takes faith to hope that God will complete every good work that He starts. It takes faith to hope in a God that will redeem and restore all of creation. It takes a lot of faith to believe in unfulfilled promises, especially when you’re in the midst of one disappointment after another.
So, what do we do on the days our faith gets shaken? What do we do when our faith grows weak? What do we do when reality hides or casts a shadow or dark cloud over hope? Two things: Remember the promises God has already fulfilled and ask Him to help you believe again. That’s the beauty of the incarnation! God understands being human. God understands how it feels to wait. God understands disappointment. God understands our longings for everything to be set right. He understands because Jesus is human and God. Talk to Him about your disappointment. Tell Him you’re hanging on by a thread and that your faith is so stretched it’s almost see-through. And then, ask Him to bring to mind all the promises He’s already fulfilled. He will. And then, admit you need help with unbelief, and He will strengthen your faith. I don’t understand it, but I do know He is faithful to help us in our most honest, crisis declarations of doubt. He is amazing like that. He will help us hope in Him. The best thing is, in the midst of our honest doubting and disappointment, His peace has a way of settling into our minds and trickling all the way down into our hearts with a gentle calmness that only He can bring. And, you just might catch yourself with a smile on your face too!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
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