Speaking Through Disappointments October 4, 2015

Numbers 14:22-23     …22 "Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, 23 shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. 

Hebrews 3:18     And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?

Numbers 26:65     For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Numbers 32:11     Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--

Deuteronomy 1:8     See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the LORD swore he would give to your fathers--to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--and to their descendants after them."

Psalm 95:11     So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"

Often we become so focused on something or someone that we’re unable to hear the Lord. In those times, one of God’s most effective yet painful methods of getting our attention is through disappointments. But oh, how we dislike this approach!

Disappointment is one of the ways God spoke dramatically to the nation of Israel. In Numbers 14, He directed His people into the Promised Land. However, fear invaded their hearts and they were scared of the inhabitants, so they refused to enter. As a result, the Lord told the Israelites they’d “by no means see the land” for 40 years, until after the death of the generation that had been too fearful to enter (Numbers 14:23).

The postponement was so disheartening that they decided to change their minds. Sadly, though, it was too late; God had already settled the issue. And the people were distraught with grief because of what they had missed.

At that moment, when they were in the throes of their disappointment, do you think God had their attention? Absolutely. The next time He gave Israel a command, don’t you imagine they listened a bit more intently?

Tragically, failure is rather common in such situations. Instead of looking to God when disappointments occur, we are quick to blame circumstances, other people, fate, or even the enemy.

We are hesitant to believe that our loving Father could be responsible for our frustrations. Yet He is willing to use disappointments to realign our thoughts and plans with His. Consider the difficulties you have faced—might the Lord have been trying to say something in the midst of them?