Disappointment with God

Years ago, someone I knew became an atheist because when her sister was sick she prayed to God and instead of answering her prayers and healing her sister, God let her sister die.  How deep was her commitment to God prior to this incident? Who can say?  Only God knows the heart, but it does bring up a valid issue, one that, I dare say, many Christians, me included, have experienced, and it is disappointment with God.  We get disappointed when we have prayed and prayed about a thing and it doesn’t happen, of if after walking in what we thought was faithful obedience for some time, God still doesn’t answer our prayers, or He lets something terrible happen, or He allows the sins of others to drastically impact our lives. And we become offended and ask, “why?” and we begin to feel resentful towards God.  And all this says a lot about us. It says we are like spoiled children, wanting our way and wanting it now. It says that we think we can run things better than God; that we know better than He does what is good for us. It also shows a lack of faith because we really don’t believe God works all things together for good for them that love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 

Why are so many disappointed with God these days? Is it because we’ve become I-centered dough-people? Has our culture made us believe we are the center of the universe?  That everything revolves around us? And if it feels good do it and if it doesn’t, well don’t waste one more second in that marriage, in that job, or in trying to overcome that problem? I think it has.  And though we are but weak flesh and it’s often hard to fight the good fight, and we get discourage and even disappointed with God, we must hang in there.  God really does have our best interest in mind, and there is no better advocate in all the world.  He will stick closer than a brother, never leave us or forsake us, and He loves us with an everlasting love.  And if we trust Him and see the thing through we really will come out conformed more perfectly into the image of Jesus Christ. And that, in a nut shell, is the whole point.

Until next week,

Sylvia