Disappointment and discouragement

Disappointment can lead to discouragement.

A lot of circumstances and people can disappoint us. I am disappointed by _______ (and you can fill in the blank).

I'm getting better at handling disappointment, but still struggle with it.

Job 5:7 says, "People are born for trouble as predictably as sparks fly upward from a fire." Troubles are part of life. There’s no end to the troubles you will probably face.

Let me give you some examples.

A fierce gust of wind blew 45-year old Vittorio Luise's car into a river near Naples, Italy in 1983. He managed to break out a window, climb out, and swim to shore where a tree blew over and killed him.

Mike Stewart, 31, of Dallas was filming a public service movie in 1983 on "The Dangers of Low-Level Bridges" when the truck he was standing on passed under a low-level bridge killing him.

Walter Hallas, a 26-year old store clerk in Leeds, England was so afraid of dentists that in 1979 he asked a fellow worker to try to cure his toothache by punching him in the jaw. The punch caused Hallas to fall down, hitting his head, and he died of a fractured skull.

Surprised while burgling a house in Antwerp, Belgium, a thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine foot wall, dropped down, and found himself in the city prison. And you thought that you were having a bad day!

Have you had, or do you have problems. Sure. We all have problems.

It's hard to imagine anyone having more problems than David, the man who wrote Psalm 103. You name it, he experienced it. He was the least in his family - the runt of the litter. King Saul tried to kill him. He had to run for his life for years. One of his sons raped his half-sister and was later murdered. His other son plotted against him to take away his throne, and slept with his own wives in public view. David's life was one of turmoil.

David was brutally honest with God about how he felt. He let God know whenever he was experiencing a time of trouble. And time after time, David found that God was able to rescue him from discouragement.

In Psalm 103, he writes: "He heals all my diseases; He ransoms me from death." (Psalm 103:3-4)

It's possible that David was talking about literal diseases and literal death. But it's more likely that David is talking about the problems and adversities we all face - things that we all experience. Can God handle our problems?

Yes.

You might be extremely discouraged today. God can handle your discouragement. God can provide healing from whatever it is that is dragging you down.

This past week I read a testimony from a man in a wheelchair. His mother was killed when he was a kid. His father never knew how to show him love. He dived into a river and became paralyzed. He became enslaved to drugs and alcohol. It takes him an hour to get out of bed. He couldn't feed himself or go to the washroom by himself. Can God handle his problems?

Two years ago he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He has exchanged his bitterness and his hurt for God's love. He has adopted 11 children and has 4 foster children. It still takes him an hour to get out of bed. He can now make his own sandwich.

But perhaps more importantly, he has found that God is bigger than his problems.

God’s promise is that whenever his people are in need, he will help. That’s how God heals us from discouragement. He promises to come to our rescue. David said in Psalm 18 that when we cry out to God, he hears us from his sanctuary and comes to our aid.

God can handle whatever discouragement we are facing with his help - at least that is what I am learning.

"Father we give you our disappointments today. Help us to realize once again that you are in control and that everything is in the palm of your hands. Amen."