God’s Appointments in Your Disappointments
If you’re dealing with disappointment in some area of your life
today, God wants you to know that a turnaround might be right around the
corner. He’s offering you an appointment in His presence to hear new
instructions on how to begin your fresh start.
by David Cerullo
Dictionaries
describe disappointment as being “depressed
or discouraged by the failure of one’s hopes or expectations.”
This happens to
everyone at one time or another… no one is exempt.
I’ve met people
who are disappointed in their marriage, feeling that their spouse just isn’t
living up to their expectations.
Some people
feel frustrated by the decisions their children or grandchildren are making.
And many others are disappointed by their career path or financial hopes.
Most sadly of
all, I sometimes meet Christians who have become disillusioned about the
Christian life.
They assumed
their decision to follow Jesus would make all of their problems go away – but
instead they encountered a completely new set of challenges.
As a result,
sometimes people end up mad at God because He doesn’t seem to be doing things
like they think He should.
If you are
experiencing any of these feelings today, I have good news…
In every one of
life’s disappointments, God has planned an appointment for your turnaround!
The Bible is
filled with countless examples of this vital principle, but let me just share a
few.
A Healing… or a
Resurrection?
I love the
account in John 11 of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But to be honest,
the story didn’t begin on a very positive note.
After hearing
that His friend Lazarus was sick, what did Jesus do? Nothing at first. In fact,
He waited a few extra days before coming on the scene!
When Jesus
finally arrived, He was blamed for His friend’s death. Martha, Lazarus’ sister,
said in anger and bewilderment, “Lord, if
You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).
Understandably,
Martha and her sister Mary were terribly disappointed by Jesus’ failure to come
quickly and heal their brother. Wouldn’t you be?
Yet remember
how the story ended. Instead of giving the sisters what they wanted – a healing
for their brother – Jesus gave them a much greater miracle: their brother’s
resurrection!
Friend, the
next time God seems to delay in answering your prayers, keep this story in
mind.
Amid your
disappointment, the Lord may be setting up an appointment to do something far
better than you can dream or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
A Few Fish… or
a Miracle Catch?
One day Jesus
gave advice to Simon Peter, a professional fisherman, on how to fish: “Launch out into the deep and let down your
nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).
The timing was
perfect, for Peter was feeling quite disappointed at that moment: “Master, we have toiled all night and caught
nothing” (verse 5)!
If you put
yourself in Peter’s shoes, you would be disappointed too. He had worked hard… stayed
up all night…used all of his expertise… but caught absolutely NOTHING.
Despite this
disappointment, Peter fortunately was willing to heed Jesus’ instructions: “Nevertheless, at Your word I will let down
the net” (verse 5).
Notice that one
word from Jesus can change everything! When Peter obeyed the Lord’s
instruction, the resulting turnaround was swift and stunning:
“When they had done this, they caught a great number
of fish, and their net was breaking” (verse 6).
What a
beautiful illustration of God’s plan to schedule an appointment for our
breakthrough during our times of disappointment.
If Peter and
the other fishermen had caught even a mediocre catch of fish through their own
efforts that day, perhaps they would have been satisfied.
But Jesus
wanted to give them much MORE than that!
The lesson for
us today is clear:
During times of
disappointment, we must draw near to God and request His instructions for our
turnaround.
When the Brook
Dries Up
The final story
is found in 1 Kings 17. Elijah had followed God’s instructions to live by the
Brook Cherith, where he could drink from the stream and be fed by ravens.
Elijah obeyed,
and everything went as planned – for three years, at least. But then the
situation changed: “It happened after a
while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (verse 7).
Friend, perhaps
you’ve faced a time like this in your own life. You’ve tried to be faithful in
following the Lord’s instructions, but one day, unexpectedly, “the brook dried up.”
Perhaps you
faced the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, or some other setback. But
in your disappointment, remember…
Every setback
is just a setup for a comeback!
The brook
drying up certainly wasn’t the end of Elijah’s story – far from it. This
disappointment led to wonderful new appointments in his ministry:
Then the word
of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and
dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (verses 8-9).
You see, when
the brook of God’s provision dries up, that doesn’t mean He’s being unfaithful
to His Word. Instead, the Lord is providing you with a marvelous opportunity to
draw closer to Him and receive your new assignment.
After the Brook
Cherith dried up, can you imagine how foolish it would have been for Elijah to
continue sitting there, demanding that God send more water? The Lord had a
different plan – a much better plan – moving Elijah onward in the next step
toward His ultimate calling.
What You Can Do
If you’re
dealing with disappointment in some area of your life today,
God wants you
to know that a turnaround might be right around the corner. He’s offering you
an appointment in His presence to hear new instructions on how to begin your
fresh start.
Your friends at
Inspiration Ministries are here for you in times of discouragement and testing.
I encourage you to send us your prayer requests, or contact our faithful prayer
ministers directly to agree with you in prayer.
I’m convinced
that an exciting appointment awaits as you trust and obey the Lord!
God bless you,
David Cerullo is the
founder, chairman, and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, located in Indian Land,
South Carolina – a ministry dedicated to impacting people for Christ worldwide
through media. The son of international evangelist Morris Cerullo, David took a
less traditional approach to ministry, graduating from Oral Roberts University
with a degree in business administration and management. He has authored over
20 books, and operates a global media ministry that powerfully impacts the
world for Christ. More from
David on Inspiration.org.
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