Find out how to respond to disappointment as a Christian

Christian life can sometimes seem like a roller coaster ride when strong hope and faith collide with an unexpected reality. When our prayers are not answered as we wish and our dreams break, disappointment is the natural result. Jack Zavada examines "The Christian Response to Disappointment" and offers practical advice for turning disappointment in a positive direction, drawing you closer to God.

The Christian response to disappointment
If you are a Christian, you know the disappointment well. All of us, whether new Christians or lifelong believers, fight feelings of disappointment when life goes wrong. After all, we think that following Christ should give us special immunity against problems. We are like Peter, who tried to remind Jesus: "We left everything to follow you". (Mark 10:28).

Maybe we haven't left everything, but we've made some painful sacrifices. Doesn't it matter? Shouldn't this give us a free pass when it comes to disappointment?

You already know the answer to this. As each of us struggle with our private setbacks, people without God seem to thrive. We wonder why they are doing so well and we are not. We fight for loss and disappointment and wonder what is going on.

Ask the right question
After many years of suffering and frustration, I finally understood that the question I should ask God is not "Why, Lord? ", But rather," What time, Lord? "

Ask "What now, sir?" Instead of "Why, Lord?" It is a difficult lesson to learn. It is difficult to ask the right question when you feel disappointed. It is difficult to ask when your heart is breaking. It is difficult to ask "What happens now?" When your dreams have been broken.

But your life will start to change when you start asking God, "What would you like me to do now, Lord?" Oh sure, you will still feel angry or disheartened by disappointments, but you will also find that God is eager to show you what he wants you to do next. Not only that, but it will provide you with everything you need to do it.

Where to bring your heart aches
In the face of problems, our natural tendency is not to ask the right question. Our natural tendency is to complain. Unfortunately, attaching yourself to other people rarely helps solve our problems. Instead, it tends to drive people away. Nobody wants to go around with a person who has a self-pitying and pessimistic view of life.

But we can't let it go. We need to pour our hearts out on someone. Disappointment is too heavy a burden to bear. If we let the disappointments build up, they lead to discouragement. Too much discouragement leads to despair. God doesn't want it for us. In his grace, God asks us to take our heart.

If another Christian tells you that it is wrong to complain to God, simply send that person to the Psalms. Many of them, like Psalms 31, 102 and 109, are poetic tales of wounds and grievances. God listens. He would prefer us to empty our hearts rather than keep that bitterness inside. He is not offended by our discontent.

Complaining with God is wise because he is capable of doing something about it, while our friends and relatives may not be. God has the power to change us, our situation or both. He knows all the facts and knows the future. He knows exactly what needs to be done.

The answer to "What Now?"
When we pour our wounds on God and find the courage to ask him, "What do you want me to do now, Lord?" we can expect it to respond. Communicate through another person, our circumstances, his instructions (very rarely), or through his Word, the Bible.

The Bible is such an important guide that we should regularly immerse ourselves in it. It's called the living Word of God because its truths are constant but apply to our changing situations. You can read the same passage at different times in your life and get a different answer each time - a pertinent answer. This is God speaking through his Word.

Seeking God's Answer to "What Now?" it helps us grow in faith. Through experience, we learn that God is trustworthy. It can take our disappointments and work them for our good. When this happens, we come to the surprising conclusion that the almighty God of the universe is on our side.

No matter how painful your disappointment may be, God's answer to your question of "And now, Lord?" always start with this simple command: “Trust me. Trust me".

Jack Zavada hosts a Christian website for singles. Never married, Jack feels that the hard-won lessons he has learned can help other Christian singles make sense of their lives. His articles and e-books offer great hope and encouragement. To contact him or for more information, visit Jack's bio page.