Disappointments

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12

Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God's greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit, revealed deep disappointment when he was forgotten another two years in prison. John the Baptist, when awaiting execution, doubted whether Jesus was, in fact, the Christ because he was sitting there awaiting his death. Elijah, losing all hope and despondent to the point of death, asked God to take his life in the desert; and Peter, who left his fishing business and invested three years of his life only to watch his Savior crucified, wondered whether the purpose of those three years could be justified.

When life doesn't add up, it leaves the heart sick. When we have done all we know to do and the formula has not worked, it leaves us questioning. These are times that try the very souls of men. There is no human sense to be made of it. We are left with a choice: to cling or not to cling. There are times when holding on to our Master's robe is all that we can do. It is all that He wants us to do.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not obtained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Standing on what too long we bore,
With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,
We may discern-unseen before-
A path to higher destinies!
~Longfellow

There is only one answer to life's disappointments. Like the psalmist, we must "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (Ps. 62:5-6).
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I know for each of us we have lived through many seasons of life.  We have known good times where we had so much joy and peace we felt it could never be snatched away.  However we also have been, or may are right now, in that place where our soul is begging for rest.  It is important to remember that God tells us to receive His promises and gifts.  That takes action by us.  Remember that God tells us to kick the dust from our shoes when we are among those that do not desire to share in the peace we offer and then to "take" our peace with us as we leave.  These are also actions initiated by us.  Christ told many individuals that they were healed by their faith not by rituals done etc.  Again, this is prompted by an action of the individual.

We are constantly reminded of Ephesians 6 with our groups ( go into the archives and or search area and type "stand" for more encouragement).  I prayerthat we all be empowered by His will and that the supernatural presence of His spirit enables our success'. Along with this I am copying Ephesians 6: 14-18 (GWT) this is the action we must take!
With Love,
Candace

So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God’s approval as your breastplate. Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. In addition to all these, take the Christian faith as your shield. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Also take salvation as your helmet and the word of God as the sword that the Spirit supplies. Pray in the Spirit in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people.