Disappointment is a harrowing situation that often leads to frustration and depression, if not properly and carefully handled. The crushing blow of disappointment could make life unbearable and devastating. Unfortunately, statistics show that over 350 million people suffer from depression and anxiety due to disappointments.
What is disappointment? The simple definition is a failed expectation.
Day by day, I feel the pain of those whose expectations and hopes are dashed because several times, I felt the emotional trauma of shattered hope until the Lord, in His mercy, showed me the way out of disappointment. The Lord made me realize that the word “disappointment” is not in the dictionary of those who trust Him. I pondered over this for a while because I had always believed I put my trust in the Lord, yet experienced disappointments. I have seen many committed and Spirit-filled believers languishing in the valley of disappointments, yet the Lord says the word “disappointment” is not in the dictionary of those who trust Him. I became worried until I realized the three major criteria that must not be ignored while trusting God. These criteria are:
- The alignment of your heart with God’s plans
- Understanding Divine timing
- Rest through absolute confidence in the faithfulness of God
When your heart is not in alignment with God’s plans, your expectations may be contrary to His plans for your life. Because God is only committed to fulfilling His purposes, expectations contrary to His plans may be dashed.
Understanding Divine timing is paramount because putting your trust in God does not mean your expectations will be met at your own time, but at God’s appointed time. God makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecc 3:11). Unfortunately, the failure to realize this important factor is making so many believers lose hope and question the faithfulness of God. We have become impatient with God because we lack an understanding of God’s appointed time. As a result, we compare ourselves with others, forgetting that those who do such are unwise (2 Corn 10:12).
The third criterion that must not be ignored is resting through absolute confidence in the faithfulness of God. Nothing gives you peace of mind amid failure and disappointment, like trusting the faithfulness of God. As long you are on the Lord’s side, and you haven’t given the devil a foothold in your life, everything that comes your way will work together for your good. Resting through absolute confidence in God is difficult if one eye is on God and the other on men. When you trust God, strive to fix your eyes on Him completely. You can’t claim to look up to Him and look up to men at the same time.
You need to get to the point of saying whatever God cannot do, let it remain undone, and anywhere he can’t take you, you have no business going there. Don’t let the devil rob you of your joy because of the transient blessings humans may try to offer. When you put your trust in men, your life will be full of disappointment, discouragement, and despair. I understand it’s not easy, that’s why we need to constantly pray to God for grace to ignore the temptation of putting our trust in human being.
Since putting your trust in God is the key to overcoming disappointments, what happens when you put your truth in Him?
I must be sincere with you; challenges may come your way. The devil may decide to fight you tooth and nail to make sure you lose faith in God, but one thing is sure, as confirmed by the scripture, each time you fix your eyes on God, he enlightens your eyes and make sure you do not end up in shame. Physical and spiritual enlightenment is a promise the Lord has made to anyone who puts their truth in him. Hear what the Bible says:
“They looked unto him and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed”.
Psalm 34:5
You may ask, why does He choose to enlighten us instead of giving us what we need? The Lord enlightens the eyes of those who look up to Him to enlarge their capacity, he gives them more than their expectations and plant them where no one can uproot them. Remember, the Bible tells us, “Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever” (Psalm 125:1).
However, one thing is required of you. You must not be lazy. While God can assist, laziness often frustrates His effort to help you achieve what he has in mind. The enlightenment the Lord gives only yields meaningful dividends when your corresponding efforts are engaged. Don’t be deceived, beloved; trusting God requires hard work. If you are lazy and claim to trust God, you may end up in shame. I pray that won’t be your portion in Jesus’ name. Trusting God means you have exclusively acknowledged Him as the source of your help, and you will depend on Him alone, even though He will send men to help you, but your confidence will not rest in the arm of flesh. Nevertheless, laziness makes you feel everyone around you should be used by God to assist you, whereas the person the Lord wants to use may be far away, and you may probably be connected to them through hard work and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
At a point in my life, my expectations were not met regarding a breakthrough I believed God for. Through the grace of the Lord, I remained unperturbed since he already told me the word “disappointment” is not found in the dictionary of those who put their trust in Him. So, while praising God and hoping for His salvation, I kept doing all I was meant to do, and the Lord began to enlighten my eyes to see genuine opportunities that I never imagined, if not for doing the needful by His grace and believing Him for the best. I finally received more than I expected.
God does not disappoint; through His help, you can live a life free of disappointments. All you need do is to trust Him and, while trusting Him, ensure your heart aligns with His plans for your life; understand that your expectations will be met at His appointed time; and ensure that you are at peace (rest) through absolute confidence in the faithfulness of God. When you do these, God will enlighten you spiritually and physically to ascertain that you do not end up in shame. Be that as it may, you must work hard so that you do not frustrate his efforts in helping you to meet your expectations.
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