How many of you can say you have been disappointed with God?
Really, be honest.
I know for a fact I would have said I was disappointed with God some years ago. There were battles in my life for which I felt God had left me and I didn't understand WHY in the world I was having to face some of the things I faced.
Recently, the Lord has led me to read this book:
I actually have had it on my Kindle for some time, but I just never got to it because of where the Lord led me next in my reading. He called out to me for this one.
Funny thing, I did not feel disappointed with God at this time so I wasn't sure why I needed it now.
I just love how God works. :)
This past week as I was teaching, the Lord gave me a different perspective into something I have taught for years. In fact, as I was teaching it I had a pause in my heart that I wanted to just sit and think over the passage He was showing me, but when you have 20 faces looking at you to finish, you just keep going! :)
I have been teaching on Christ's life in the last couple of weeks to prepare the children's hearts for Easter and what Christ did for us on the cross.
On this particular day I was teaching from Luke 8 where Jesus had been asked by Jairus to come and heal his daughter who was near death. Jesus had just come from across the Sea of Galilee where He had calmed the storm for His disciples, healed the Gadarene demoniac, and had now come back to the other side where a huge crowd of people were there waiting for Him. In this crowd was Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, who fell at Jesus' feet and asked Him to please come heal his daughter - his only daughter.
Jesus began to walk with Jairus. As He walked, the people crowded around Him more - and then a woman touched Him.
Now, if you have ever been in a crowd, you know that is not something unusual. In fact, when Jesus turned to ask who it was that touched Him, His disciples were confused and even asked Him why He would ask that when people were surrounding Him? What they didn't realize is that Jesus knew that woman had been healed of her blood disease she had faced for 12 years. He knew her faith in Him had healed her and He wanted to test her to see if she would indeed come forward.
As all of this is taking place, and Jesus is telling the woman to "be of good comfort: your faith has made you whole; go in peace," one of the servant's from Jairus' house came towards him and told him not to trouble the Master - the girl was dead.
His only daughter was dead.
He had run to find Jesus. He had fallen at His feet. Jesus was coming with Him.
But then the woman touched Him and He stopped.
Jesus stopped. Jesus didn't heal that girl before she died.
It is at this moment in my teaching that I wanted so badly to pause. I began to put myself in Jairus' shoes.
I am sure at this moment, Jairus was DISAPPOINTED in God.
His hopes were dashed while this woman nearby was made whole just by touching Jesus' tunic.
This woman received what Jairus had hoped his daughter would receive.
Now his daughter was dead.
Let's dwell in this moment for a minute.
Are you Jairus right now? Is there something in your life that has needed healing and God has been "too late?" Have you been disappointed with God in your:
Finances.
Marriage.
Job.
Children.
Home.
Life.
I can relate. I have been there. I have been with friends who have been there. In our limited view, we ALL have been there.
My children had Isaiah 55:8 as their memory verse this week. How fitting that the Lord drew all of that together for me:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, saith the Lord."
At that moment as Jairus felt the pain of disappointment with God, he didn't realize what he thought was not what Jesus thought. Jesus, God the Son, had a different plan. None of this happened without His foreknowledge. He had a purpose in the pain.
As soon as Jesus heard Jairus' daughter was dead, he told Jairus "Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."
Jairus had to hang on to those words. He had to learn to trust even though he had NO idea how she would be made whole.
A few verses later we see where Jesus, along with Peter, James, John, and the girls' parents, went into the house and Jesus took that girl by the hand and said, "Maid, arise." That girl immediately stood up and had the breath of life in her. Jesus then told them to get her something to eat. This girl was not just some figment of their imagination or a ghost. She was a living, breathing human being who needed food.
"Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."
How can you apply that to your life today? How can you take the truths of Jesus and realize that even though things are not happening as fast or didn't happen the way you wanted, God knows something you do not.
"Fear not: believe only, and your finances will be made whole."
"Fear not: believe only, and your marriage will be made whole."
"Fear not: believe only, and your job will be made whole."
"Fear not: believe only, and your children will be made whole."
"Fear not: believe only, and your home will be made whole."
"Fear not: believe only, and your life will be made whole."
You may be thinking, "That's easy for you to type. You aren't living my life."
You are right. I do not know what you are facing and it is easy for me to sit here typing these words when I am not facing what you are facing.
However, I know Who has faced even more than you have faced.
This same Jesus that healed Jairus' daughter soon faced a hardship He desired to pass up. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before what we know as "Good Friday," He even prayed to His Father, with so much stress upon Him that blood mingled with the sweat as He prayed. He wanted the "cup to pass from Him" - in His humanity He knew that what horrific pain He was about to face.
Without being disrespectful to my Savior, may I say Jesus was, at that moment of anguish, disappointed with His Father? When He was on the cross and His Father turned His back on Him and Jesus cried "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!?" was there disappointment?
Yet, as Jesus spoke it in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Not MY will, but Yours be done."
Jesus chose not to fear. He chose to take the sins of you and me when He was innocent. He chose to go to a gruesome beating and horrific death so that we need not FEAR or be disappointed.
Yes, we can trust Him when our finances are a mess, our marriages are in a shamble, our jobs are overwhelming, our children are wayward, our home is being destroyed and our life is feeling as if we are at the end of our ropes.
Why?
Because Jesus took our disappointment with Him to the cross and it was nailed there. God came down to us in the form of His Son, and took a punishment that is beyond anything we will ever face on this earth.
In those moments of hardships, God is taking us from childlike faith, to faith of fidelity. Faith that believes even in the midst of being disappointed. Faith that comes through the fire stronger than anything there would have been if the disappointing time had not come.
Disappointment is a normal human reaction.
Just don't let it be the place in which you dwell. God's timing is not our own. Turn the disappointment into a stronger faith in the One Who has faced more than we will ever imagine.
Instead of dwelling on it, take "DIS" off of the word.
See all things as an APPOINTMENT for God to do a great work and strengthen your faith in Him alone.
