We naturally expect a favorable outcome when we take the deep desires of our heart to God. And our disappointments can feel like betrayal when our prayers are not answered in the way we thought. But it’s here our faith must go deeper – trusting God’s eternal purposes beyond our immediate disappointments.
To be sure, after we’ve opened our heart to God and have been let down, it can be hard to trust him again. What do we do when an injury keeps us from the dream job we prayed for, we suffer from a chronic illness despite our earnest prayers for relief, or a loved one dies tragically even after our countless prayers for their life to be spared?
On the one hand, our prayers were genuine and sincere, and perhaps we stood in agreement with many other saints as well. But our spiritual high of trusting God’s favor quickly becomes a dark night of the soul when we’re faced with the sorrow of not having our prayers answered as we wished. And this makes it difficult to pray and trust God again. Is it not better just to take matters into our own hands?
Of course, it’s tempting to just look at all the triumphant ways God has come through for his people in their immediate circumstances. But we must not overlook the reality that many lived by faith and yet their life still ended in tragedy from a human perspective (Hebrews 11:35-40). This is not a point of despair, but one of hope, as it reminds us we’re participating in God’s larger story much beyond our present situation.
And it’s with hope in God’s larger story that we’re still able to trust God despite our very real disappointments. While God is wild and unpredictable, his heart is good. And growing in faith is learning to trust his eternal goodness even as we endure the pain and suffering of this life.
In the end, cry and weep as you face the many disappointments and heartaches of this life without turning your heart on God. He has not betrayed you. He’s simply telling a much larger story. And his story will have a happily ever after. You can trust him.
Photo by Malachi Cowie on Unsplash
