Finding God's Appointments in Our Disappointments
I’ve been struck by a consistent theme in the lives of several pastors I’ve spoken to recently. That theme is disappointment. Specifically, disappointment at not being offered a lead position in a church.
Each of these individuals had faithfully followed the selection process and had come to believe that they were the front-runner. Yet at the last minute, all of them were told, “Sorry, but we’re going with another candidate.”
Heartsick and confused, these men struggled to make sense of it all. It seemed like the spiritual rug had been jerked out from under them.
Little did they know that many times our disappointments are God’s appointments, for within a matter of weeks, another position opened up that was an even better fit with their gifts and abilities.
God’s plans and purposes may not be clear early on. And when we have set our hopes on something only to see them dashed, it can be devastating.
We Had Hoped
By way of example, consider the two disciples of Jesus who were walking to Emmaus on that first Easter afternoon. They were bowed down with the heaviness of great disappointment after witnessing their Lord’s death on the cross.
They talked about him in the past tense: “…we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21, emphasis added). To their way of thinking, it was the end.
But when the resurrected Jesus joined them on the road and eventually revealed Himself to them, it became clear that the disappointment of Good Friday was necessary in order to have the appointment of Easter – and an all-new beginning.
Perhaps, as you read this, you are enduring your own disappointment – with a relationship or in your career. Or perhaps it’s in regard to a physical struggle. You had faithfully sought the Lord, but the answer you’d longed for didn’t come. And you find yourself echoing the words of those disciples: “we had hoped…”
Here's what I want to remind you of: The Divine Author still has pen in hand and your story is still being written. While this may be a difficult chapter, it’s not the last one.
The words found in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah affirm that. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
I can’t promise that you will see those plans unfold quickly. Indeed, you may never see them in this world. But I can say that they will not be thwarted. And one day you will shake your head in awe at the brilliance of a sovereign God who worked out things perfectly for you.
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