The Value in Hurts and Disappointments

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One of the things I have noticed as I have grown older is that my body tends to ache and pain more than it used to. Just little stuff here and there – muscle spasms, joint pains, bone aches. Just a reminder that God created our bodies to be temporary.

But I have also noticed another pain as I have grown older, a “soul pain.” I think I have become more sensitive to the things that hurt me spiritually, and I am more aware of soul pain in others. I would gladly choose any physical pain over the ache that I sometimes have in my spirit.

Various things cause these soul pains – people have hurt me, circumstances have disappointed me, my own sins have beset me. Negativity has a painful effect on me these days too, and of course, the stress of everyday life can weigh on anyone.

I get the feeling I am not alone in feeling soul pain. Can you feel my pain?

So where do we turn for healing? God has drawn my attention quite a bit lately to Psalm 42. In a refreshing display of transparency, one of the songwriting sons of Korah penned these words:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. – Psalm 42:5-7

Downcast. Disturbed. Describe you? Does me, sometimes, I am sorry to say. But look at the remedy: put your hope in God. In the Bible “hope” is not the subjunctive wish or desire that it is in our contemporary English language. When we say “hope so” we are expressing a desire but not a confidence that something will happen. When the Bible uses the word “hope” however, it speaks to a confident and quieting assurance that the object of our hope – in this case, God – is a sure thing.

We can claim the promise of verse 5: I WILL YET PRAISE HIM. Things may not look like it right now, I may not feel like it right now, circumstances may seem to indicate otherwise, but the fact (not feeling) of the matter is that God will come through and I will break out into a praising hissy fit eventually. In those moments of despair, the songwriter said he “remembered” God; he reminded himself of God’s past faithfulness and used that memory to give him the strength to take things one day (or one hour even) at a time.

Hang in there, friend. Stick it out. And in the meantime know that God will bring us through. He has great things in store for us and we will yet praise Him.

Why Jesus Is Better Than Krispy Kreme Donuts

We all find ourselves sometimes dissatisfied and disappointed.  The trick is to make sure we do not develop  a terminal case as have some.  You know the type – never happy about anything, and it is always someone or something else’s fault.  These are the people who are writing sentences in the their life story using nothing but the objective voice.

We develop this dissatisfaction when we seek satisfaction in something or someone other than Christ.  We get dissatisfied in a relationship and we break it off to look for another one.  Our church no longer satisfies, so off we go to one that seems to be more appealing.  We our possessions, so we trade them in on one newer and potentially more satisfying ones.  The trouble with this routine is that the new relationship, church, or possession eventually ceases to satisfy and we start the routine all over again.

Jesus told at crowd who followed him looking for food that He is the Bread of Life.  He compared himself to the manna God supplied his people on their journey through the wilderness. (John 6:31-35) It’s hard to imagine the people growing weary of manna.  Numbers 11:8 describes manna as tasting like a pastry cooked in the finest oil.  Sounds like a donut to me.  Imagine getting to eat donuts every day and not only did they NOT harm you, but rather they benefited you.  Who could possibly grow weary of donuts?   When the people complained God sent them quail, so much so that they soon grew sick of quail.  They sought satisfaction from some other source than God’s provision and it turned out noxious.

If you find yourself dissatisfied, you are expecting someone or something else to fill a role in your life only Jesus can fill.  Return your focus to Jesus. Read His Word, pray, serve Him. Find your sense of belonging and purpose in Him.  Look to Him as the source of all that is right and good in your life.  You will NEVER be disappointed or dissatisfied.