3 Steps to Gain Hope in Life’s Disappointment
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Life will bring disappointment to each of us. Discouragement knocks when a valued relationship suddenly ends, we’re denied the job opportunity, or an unexpected health crisis throws us into a tailspin. I’ve endured all these things.
One particular season filled with disappointment was the long years of chronic illness I endured because of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Stripped of my independence, enduring physical pain, and watching my friends celebrate milestones that seemed impossible for me weighed heavy on my heart.
When fall rolled around, I experienced another blow to my spirit. I was unable to return to my role as a classroom teacher.
I watched the yellow school buses drive by my house, signifying the beginning of schoolhouse festivities. Yet I sat in the same place as the year before––unable to participate in the activities I once loved. Realization that I couldn’t return to my elementary classroom seemed like banishment, and my heart suffered unspeakable pain.
The only place I could go with my heartache was to the Lord.
Perhaps this is a little like how the psalmist felt when he penned Psalm 42. The writer was a worship leader who, in the past, had led God’s people on their pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem: a time set aside for them to worship the Lord. But he and the Israelites had been exiled––separated from familiar comforts and all they held dear.
When the season for the festivities came around, the author––unable to take part––longed for the days when he could worship the Lord at the temple. Grief and disillusionment overwhelmed his heart. He wondered, like I did, if God had forgotten him. We witness the psalmist wrestle with the Lord as he vacillates between faith and despair.
There are three stages the psalmist passed through to regain his hope in the Lord:
1. He Voiced His Despair
As a deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for You, God.
Psalm 42:1 HCSB
The writer likened his longing for the Lord to a deer who’s thirsty for cool water on a hot day––a refreshing and life-sustaining stream (vs. 1-2). His ache was heightened by taunts he endured from those who ridiculed him for trusting a God who allowed him to suffer (v. 3).
Certainly, there are times of external persecution, yet sometimes we war against an agony within our own minds. Our enemy is a master of this tactic.
The psalmist goes on to admit the weight of his despair: I am deeply depressed (v. 6). It’s important to note that he did not deny his feelings but openly expressed them to the Lord. We can do the same.
2. He Shifted His Focus by Remembering God
The Lord will send His faithful love by day;
His song will be with me in the night—
a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:8 HCSB
The author’s heart-cry turns from drought into storm as his longings swallow––and threaten to drown––him in sorrow (vs. 6-7). In his intense suffering, he turns his thoughts to the Lord’s faithfulness: to the God who gives songs in the night (v. 8).
The psalmist prays to “the God of my life” (v. 8). In this Scripture, the writer refers to God as Jehovah, Hebrew for “the God of Israel.” He reminds himself that he serves the God of the covenant, the faithful One, who blesses His people with lovingkindness.
Jehovah will not break His promises. When the author focuses on the Lord’s provision and protection, recalling the blessings in his life, he stepped onto the threshold of hope.
3. He Regains Hope by Trusting God
Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11 HCSB
We constantly fight voices in our head––some true and others false. It’s a battle to discern the differences between the two. We must make a choice. Will we listen to the oppressive voices of our enemies and unreliable emotions, or will we redirect our attention to the truth of God’s character?
The psalmist cultivated hope by speaking facts. I imagine he was asking himself, “What reason do you have not to hope? Hasn’t God proven Himself before? He will do it again.” These are words I’ve spoken to myself––and ones I will continue to declare.
Then he commands himself to “put your hope in God” (v. 11). The writer knows he can’t put his hope in the job he holds, the place he lives, or any of life’s circumstances. Those are fleeting and will fail. But the Lord––Jehovah––never fails.
The author not only commands himself to place his hope in God, but he determines to “still praise Him” (v. 11). And whom will he praise?: “My Savior and my God” (v. 11). Praise is the key that unlocks the door to hope, lifts the weight of despair, and allows our hearts to soar with joy amid the most excruciating circumstances.
Years have passed since my diagnosis and the suffering I endured because of it. And although I’ve regained most of my health, I never returned to the elementary classroom. I didn’t realize that God had placed me in another school, one where I would learn more about Him and His faithfulness. I’m still a student and will be forever.
Something I’m learning is that we can run to our Father with our deepest longings, heartaches, and agony. In this life, we will experience disappointments, but God will never be one of them.
When circumstances bring you to despair, take a lesson from the psalmist and be honest with the Lord about your feelings. Remember His promises, and speak hope into your heart by praising Him. After all, He is your Jehovah, too.
This is a revised version of Turning to God that appeared in Living By Design’s SOULfood Saturday. Click here to read the original post.
