Do you find it hard to trust God because you feel like he has left you hanging? C’mon, tell the truth! Never? Let me ask it a different way. Have you ever experienced a time when you knew within your heart that God had instructed you to do something specific, yet when you did what you thought He had told you to do, the results were not what you expected? In fact, not only were the results not what you expected, they seemed to cause you more shame and heartbreak than happiness and reward. Still can’t relate? What about one of the following examples?
The Questions?
- Have you ever followed God’s instruction to quit your job with the intention of starting a new business only to find yourself unemployed with no business?
- Have you ever pursued a relationship on God’s instruction only to be rejected and humiliated?
- Have you ever moved to a new state (or country) on God’s command only to experience the worst loneliness you have ever experienced?
- Have you ever made yourself vulnerable only to be scoffed at?
Trust God Despite What You See
If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, know that you are not alone. You are probably thinking, “Great! So, now what?” The pious thing to say would be, “Trust God, and everything will work itself out.” While this is true, it’s not always easy.
Sometimes, pursuing what we believe to be the voice of God could lead to humiliation, exhaustion, disappointment, and doubt. Remember Joseph? He told his family that God had revealed to him in a dream that he was going to be a great leader. Imagine how embarrassed he must have felt when he sat in jail, falsely accused of rape. How many times did he question himself or God? How many times did he ask whether he had heard God correctly?
What about you? You have testified to others about God’s greatness, but you have yet to see the fruit of your labor (or belief or obedience). The business that you know that God told you to build is under water. You poured everything you had into it. The relationship that you thought would prosper is nonexistent or failing. Your enemies are secretly (or publicly) triumphing over your failures. You feel exhausted. What do you do? You are beginning to wonder whether you heard God correctly. You are beginning to wonder whether you will ever get it right. How could you be so wrong? The pain is overwhelming. So, what do you do?
Trust God: Plant Your Promise
The first thing I want you to do is put on your seatbelt. What I am going to tell you will probably give you spiritual whiplash.
What might seem to us like a spiritual goose chase could actually be a divine appointment. Know that it is not a bad thing to return to God empty-handed after you have pursued His directives. Here’s why. When God sent you out, he sent you out armed with a promise. However, a promise is just the beginning of the story. In order for the entire story to be assembled, you will need additional directives from God. So you go off with the promise. You have to plant the promise at your destination because you will need to return to God for further directions, and you cannot return with the promise. Why?
How Do I Overcome Disappointment With God?
The Bible says that His Word cannot return to him void. Are you excited yet? This is the point where most of us miss the mark. We go back to God and quarrel with Him about being empty-handed. However, we should be celebrating. Instead of accusing God of disappointing us, we should be asking him how to water the seed we just planted in the place He just sent us.
This revelation should excite us. It might not stop the pain and the sadness, but it will give us some insight into who God is. In Psalm 37:25, David said, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (NIV). According to David, the apple of God’s eyes, God will never forsake us. If we delight in God, he will give us our heart’s desires (Psalm 37:4). We should know that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8). Sometimes, we might have to water His planted promises for a while. However, once they are planted, they cannot return to Him void. Take heart tonight and know that we can trust God because he will never take us somewhere where his grace will not sustain us.