Looking Beyond Disappointments
“So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was”
(John 11:3-6)
When disappointments come your way in life, it is easy to blame both yourself and others. Frequently it is difficult to know what to say or do because you cannot quite identify the real cause or purpose of the letdown.
Disappointment is often an emotional response to our own failure – or someone else?s – to achieve a desire, hope, dream or goal. This can lead to losing faith in someone on whom we were depending – perhaps even a person we love. The gospel of John tells us that Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Because of this, they didn?t sense the need to tell the Lord anything more than ?He whom You love is sick? (John 11:3). Their expectation was that as soon as Jesus heard this, He would come and heal their brother. But He didn?t set out for two more days. When Martha met Jesus, she was disappointed.
She wasn?t disappointed in Jesus; she was disappointed because He didn?t come right away and He allowed Lazarus to die. She didn?t see His purpose.
God has a purpose for allowing the disappointments of our life. He could prevent them, but He wants to show us His purpose. He wants us to trust and believe and to let our circumstance bring glory to Him. (John 11:4, 25)
When disappointments come, will you be stalled and derailed from God?s will for your life? Or will you find yourself beginning to understand His purpose so you can learn from those situations? The right response is simply to trust Him.
Related Links:
Take the Panic out of Prayer:
http://www.retirementwithapurpose.com/hglpanicoutofprayer.html
About the Author
This article was written by Charles Stanley. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/charles-stanley/
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