Disappointed?

[Kabowd]

[a lesson my brother taught me a while back...thought I'd share it here]

* you miss a light

* your bf/gf cheats on you

* your team loses a game

* you lose your job

* you gain 5 lbs

* someone you love dies

These are all varying degrees of disappointment. Life will be filled with disappointment. The question is: how will you handle it? Grow angry, bitter, depressed? Or release it to God and trust Him?

Today I read the book of Habakkuk for the first time and learned he was disappointed. He was disappointed with God's people because they were living like hell. He was even disappointed with God because He was seeming to turn a deaf ear. The book opens up with Habakkuk pouring his complaint out to God. It says he was burdened.

Have you ever had a disappointment turn into a heavy burden? One of the stories that I think about in the bible is the story of Ishmael. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, but out of their impatience and disobedience they concocted their own plan to conceive a child through Sarah's servant, Haggar...and Ishmael was born. As the story goes, contention built between Sarah and Haggar and Abraham was faced with a difficult choice. He had to take his first son, put him on a donkey, look him in the eye and say, "I love you, but you're not the son I'm waiting for". He slapped the donkey and sent his son away to see him no more. Have you ever wondered about the pain and disappointment Ishmael must've felt? He didn't do anything wrong....he was just born. Later we discover Ishmael has a son of his own and guess what he names him: Massa...which in Hebrew means "burden". It's amazing how long the pain of disappointment can stick with us.

My brother has a friend who is a grown man now, but is still deeply wounded by some pain in his childhood. His parents divorced when he was just a little boy but the judge ruled his dad would have him once a month for the weekend. Everytime that weekend rolled around, he would back his suitcase and wait by the door with anticipation. He ate by the door, he played by the door, he slept by the door and waited...for a daddy who never came. That deep disappointment lives with him to this day and even effects his relationship with his own daughter now. It's his burden.

But back to Habakkuk...he was questioning God because He seemed distant. He questioned God's character (vs. 12), His judgment (vs. 12), His honor (vs.13), His Sovereignty (vs.14) and he questions God's concern (vs.17). Basically, Habakkuk's perspective had become distorted because he was focusing on the circumstance rather than focusing on God and trusting it was all under control.

When disappointing things happen, we have to make a choice. We can walk in faith, trusting God will work it out for our good (Rom. 8:28, Jer. 29:11)..or we can fret, worry and grow bitter and depressed. After Habakkuk pours out his frustrations, in chapter 2 God begins to refocus him and teaches him how to deal. He tells him to live by faith. Faith is believing in something more real than what you can see with your natural means of observation. When a circumstance gets you down, what do you see? You didn't get the job? Your loved one didn't get healed? Or do you see God at work in your midst? You have to look with the eyes of faith.

By the end of the book, we see Habakkuk responding the right way...he ends up rejoicing in the Lord, trusting God will work it out and He'll keep His word. (2:2,3).

One of the cool things about God is how carefully He chooses His messengers. Nothing happens by chance. Why did He choose Habakkuk to be the one to see these things and face this disappointment? One of the clues may be in his name: Habakkuk literally means "embrace". Perhaps God was trying to communicate something to us even through His choice in naming this prophet. When we are in the depths of dispair, grief and disappointment, even when we find ourselves disappointed in Him....He is there with His arms open wide, waiting to offer His loving embrace.

[WayneB]

Good read Tess!

Be Blessed,

Wayne