Study 14 - Disappointments, Delays and Dilemmas

Elijah probably set all his hopes on the confrontation between God and the priests of Baal. ‘This will turn the nation,’ he thought. ‘Everyone will worship the Lord now.’ Then, when Ahab and Jezebel showed no signs of repentance, the tremendous miracle seemed to come to nothing and Elijah collapsed.

Disappointment
Disappointment drains you. Let’s say you decide on a special gospel outreach. Someone slaves over a dramatic script; others prepare music and PowerPoint Presentations. People are praying and rehearsing hard, giving all their energies in order to make the event successful. Leaflets are printed and delivered around the neighbourhood. Hostesses and coffee-makers are appointed, and someone even gives up three hours of her time to buy and arrange some flowers in the hall. By the evening everything is ready. Expectations run high. The doors are flung wide and a handful of people stroll in.

The following Sunday the church meets as usual. ‘Terrific evenings, weren’t they?’ says everyone. ‘The performances were superb.’ But inside you’re thinking, ‘The performances were great but where were the audiences? We worked so hard – the baby-sitting, the costumes, the rehearsals. Was it all for nothing?’ And, if the truth be known, you’re drained and deeply disappointed.

We can even be disappointed by our nearest and dearest. Lack of appreciation in marriage is very hard to bear. ‘She doesn’t appreciate me,’ says the husband. ‘I’m out all day, coping with the pressure, making important decisions, battling to keep on top of the work. I come home exhausted, wanting some time to unwind. I pick up the paper and all she can talk about is her day.’

‘He doesn’t appreciate me,’ says his wife. ‘I’m stuck here all day, coping with the kids, changing nappies, doing the washing, ironing, cleaning, shopping, cooking … No, don’t touch that, Peter! Yes, it is pretty, Susan. James, leave that alone! It’ll fall over. Yes it will. It has! Now stop crying. It’s only hurting a little bit. Let’s kiss it better … And after a day of this my husband comes in, flops on the sofa, picks up the paper and asks, “Is dinner ready?” He doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t understand what I go through all day long. All he wants is my body. He doesn’t appreciate me at all.’ Disappointment leads to bitterness and hostility. Spiritual collapse is about to take place.

Delays and dilemmas
‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick’ (Prov. 13:12), as anyone knows who has waited endlessly for the house to sell or for another job to turn up.

Often you can see why things happen to you. It’s raining hard. The bus shoots past the end of your road and you charge after it in hot pursuit. It stops, takes two passengers on board and pulls away just before you arrive. You stop dead, panting, sopping wet. The rain slithers down your neck and your face reflects a mixture of pain and despair. You stand wearily under the bus shelter. A woman joins you.

Woman: I suppose we’ve missed the bus.
You: Yes
Woman: You live around here, don’t you?
You: That’s right. Just around the corner.
Woman: I thought so. I’m sure I’ve seen you go past my house to that church.
You: Yes. I’m a member there.
Woman: Oh, are you? They always seem such a happy crowd. Tell me more about it.

And suddenly you know why you missed the bus. ‘Oh, it’s a divine appointment,’ you say to yourself. ‘I’d miss any number of buses for a divine appointment. Now where are my tracts?’

When you know the reason for what happened, you’re happy. The problem arises when you stand at the bus stop for forty-five minutes and no one else turns up. Or you go to the hospital and think, ‘I really want to witness to the patients here,’ but you’re so ill that it’s as much as you can do to ask for a glass of water. ‘What’s the point?’ you think. Perplexity saps you of your strength.

Quote
‘God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies grey and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to your honour and glory.’
Augustine, Works and Biography