Not Quite Finished

In Exodus 15 there is a story of the Israelites celebrating the grace and mercy of God. They even recorded a song of praise. Yet three days later they were disappointed in Him for not providing water for them. In verse 25 it says that God had planned this as “a standard to test their faithfulness to Him”. (NLT)

In I Kings 18-19 Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and saw one of the greatest victories in scripture, only to flee to a place where he ended up exhausted, afraid, ready to quit and prayed that he would die. Joshua saw the walls of Jericho fall, and then watched Israel get humiliated at Ai.

While on the field in Africa and the Middle East we saw some amazing things that God did and we rejoiced in them. Yet since we have been back here in the States we have been tested in the quiet frustrations, the small irritations, and the letdowns that wear us out afterward. Do we still trust God when the water is bitter? Do we still honor Him when gratitude disappears? That is the test. Disappointment has a way of exposing our reactions, our motives, and our maturity. It often shows us what success can cover up.

Satan loves to follow spiritual victory with discouragement, Job is a great example, and life in an immoral world has a way of following celebration with challenge. So guard your hearts. After a breakthrough, expect resistance. And instead of letting disappointment make us cynical, be ready for it.

Remember what disappointment can never change. Marah was real, but it was not the end of the story. The bitter water was not final, because God was still leading and still able to give his people exactly what they needed. Joshua continued to take the land that God gave them after Ai. Elijah continued to serve the Lord for years after the Lord sent him back. That is true for us too. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (NLT).

It’s the same in our lives. We have faced disappointments here in the States (as well as on the field) and we have learned that the Master is so close to us in these times of frustrations, letdowns, exasperations, and disappointments. He will rescue us from our crushed spirits. He will encourage us in other things that we didn’t expect. We have seen this intimacy in friends dying, in parents struggling in the latter years of their lives, in children moving away, in financial stability, in medical issues, and in all sorts of small irritations. Disappointments that God allows, as Exodus 15 says, is God’s way of testing our faithfulness to Him. I’m sure I have failed Him multiple times over my lifetime. But I’m glad that God has given me frustrations and disappointments over the years because without them I would never be closer to Him… and He wouldn’t be closer to me.