I was reflecting on that this week because of my struggle with a painful knee injury. It’s been two weeks and there’s been lots of prayer. While it’s no longer swollen and is definitely much better than it was a week ago, it’s still not competely healed - which means that it’s a cause of discomfort and inconvenience during this season of the leadership development course, where we frequently need to go up the three flights of stairs in Villa Rehoboth. People comment that it looks suspiciously “arthriticky” and tell me stories about their own knee surgery or hip replacement.Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Dealing with Disappointment
In my Bible reading this week, I was reflecting on different tests and trials that we could face in our Christian walk. One of these is the test of disappointment. What do we do when our prayers seem to go unanswered (like Daniel’s, in Daniel chapter 10: 12 - 14) or when promises are taking a long time to be fulfilled (like Abraham’s situation in Genesis chapter 16: 1 - 3) ? Daniel waited patiently and continued to pray. Abraham took things into his own hands and tried to work out his own solution to the disappointment. Another person might simply have got angry or wallowed in their disappointment with God.
In fact, Daniel’s delay was due to spiritual warfare; God had actually answered his prayer immediately. And Abraham’s delay was presumably because it wasn’t yet God’s perfect timing to fulfill the promise of giving him a son. Other people’s disappointment might even be because what they’re desiring or hoping for isn’t the best or isn’t actually God’s will for them. The test is whether we will keep trusting God despite disappointment or delay.
I was reflecting on that this week because of my struggle with a painful knee injury. It’s been two weeks and there’s been lots of prayer. While it’s no longer swollen and is definitely much better than it was a week ago, it’s still not competely healed - which means that it’s a cause of discomfort and inconvenience during this season of the leadership development course, where we frequently need to go up the three flights of stairs in Villa Rehoboth. People comment that it looks suspiciously “arthriticky” and tell me stories about their own knee surgery or hip replacement.
Yes, it’s disappointing that it has been kind of a handicap at the start of LDC. It’s probably getting better every day, but it's been slightly disappointing that the healing is happening slowly rather than quickly or even instantaneously. But Father, I choose to keep trusting You. I will continue to pray and to receive prayer. I will never doubt your love or your goodness. And I will continue to proclaim that You are a God who heals.
There are different kinds of disappointments in life, some greater than others. Big or small, the real test is whether we’ll continue to love and trust God anyway… because He deserves our love and worship for who He is, and not only for the things He does for us. I want to pass that test; I want to bring joy to God’s heart by trusting Him, even amidst life’s challenges.
I was reflecting on that this week because of my struggle with a painful knee injury. It’s been two weeks and there’s been lots of prayer. While it’s no longer swollen and is definitely much better than it was a week ago, it’s still not competely healed - which means that it’s a cause of discomfort and inconvenience during this season of the leadership development course, where we frequently need to go up the three flights of stairs in Villa Rehoboth. People comment that it looks suspiciously “arthriticky” and tell me stories about their own knee surgery or hip replacement.