“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever” – (Psalm 30:11-12 ).
According to the English Cambridge dictionary, “a disappointment is something that is not what you hoped for!” Disappointments are a regular reality of life but what ultimately counts is how one reacts to them. Two instances can highlight how our reaction to disappointments does affect consequences.
First, there was Judas who in handing over Jesus had a certain expectation of a huge monetary reward (Luke 22:5-6). However, that turned out to be a disappointment once it dawned on him he had handed over an innocent man. “So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself” (Mathew 27:5).
The reaction of Judas contrasts to that of David who once pleaded to God to save a son of his from death as a result of judgment brought on him after some folly. “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them” (2 Samuel 16-17).
In spite of all the child died anyway. And “David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate” (vv 18).
Yet they were mistaken. “But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate” (vv19-20).
How David reacted to a huge setback reveals his faith. When it mattered he cried to God to save his child; but once the child died, the first thing David did was to worship God! He did not start finger pointing, blame himself or turn to witchcraft with a plea to return his child’s life back.
For this the Lord would reward his faith with yet another son: “and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah” (verse 27).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraam, maker of heaven and earth, as setbacks are common to life may I never lose faith in you, but ever wait upon you, to surprise me with an even greater reward, this I pray in Jesus’s name!
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21/05/2024 - 22/05/2024 All day“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare” (Proverbs 24-26)
Anyone who has taken a long walk through dark forested woods knows the fear and trepidation of suddenly coming face to face with some dreadful creature stirring from nowhere. Hence, one walks gingerly, with his sixth senses fully alert.
In life, there are also those situations where we too can find ourselves fearful of the worst, a terror suddenly unleashed upon us by some nemesis, just as we had lowered our guard. Yes, some evil was waiting for the right time to knock us down.
In our verse today we see here some of the blessings of placing our confidence in the Lord. People tend to lose sleep when there is something there are most anxious of, especially when there are uncertain of the outcome. Also, there are certain job situations where in a rat chase one has no idea of the next move of his competition, and is ever fearful of a wicked surprise. When we walk with the Lord, we are at peace because it is not much of the circumstances around us that determine our fate. But it is His protection.
Our lives are much like how pilots enjoy a panoramic view of all that is below. For the traveler who has not that vantage view there can be that anxiety especially once caught in the thick of the jungle. But then by looking up to God who knows and sees everything hovering over us, why worry! This is why Paul writes, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that your peace may abound upon me in whatever situation I face as I know you are in supreme control.
