Disappointed with God

"Never have people been more the Masters of their environment; yet never has a people felt more deceived and disappointed."

                                                                                    ~ Daniel Boorstin

Nature is a fantastic symphony singing the praises of God through a unique choral arrangement in a melody speaking constantly to the human soul.

This is true whether one chooses to listen or to ignore; nature will sing on.
For, as the Lord said, "...if these keep silent, the stones will cry out!"

Yet, as a Christian, and I imagine many Christians likewise will also attest, there are times when I have been disappointed, dismayed and even upset with God.

We know these feelings aren't what we are supposed to feel toward God; but many times we do, and left unchecked these feelings may lead us to quiet, unexpressed doubt.
Living in a fallen world, for the Christian, doubt is more akin to forgetfulness than it is disbelief.
His hand is seen throughout the universe and His signature is written throughout our lives; if this were not so, we would not believe as we do.

This being true, it still does not erase the fact that sometimes Christians become disappointed with God in our lives.

You see, we know God is Sovereign Lord; Scripture teaches us that it is God who raises Kings and removes Kings. 
What is true for Kings is also true for the sparrows of the sky and each individual life; God is in control, always and infinitely.
Which makes me wonder as to why God has allowed some of the leaders He has on the earth over the last several thousand years.
But I digress.

We know God intervenes in human life; Scripture is adamant that God knows every detail of our lives (secret and hidden will one day be shouted from the rooftops) but it is equally certain that God will intervene in the affairs of humanity including to rescue, revive, resurrect and rouse His people.
Which makes me wonder why His people are seemingly asleep at the wheel right now in America.
Again, I digress.


We know God cares for His children; Scripture points to the lilies of the fields, with Jesus Himself teaching us that Solomon in his glory was not as beautiful as these flowers. 
At the same time, these flowers will die and fade from history; mankind will live forever. 
The message is that God cares for flowers, but has a greater care and love for you and I; therefore, we should never worry about material things of the world or in our lives.

We know God is infinitely compassionate, perfect love and is unfathomable in His mercy.

Each of these being true, why do things turn out in life like they do?

For example, if God is in control of all things at all times including my individual, human life, why then didn't He prevent me from having Cancer?
Granted, I'm just a regular guy, not a super-saint; but still, if God loves me and could have prevented the disease, why didn't He?

At times, life can be disappointing...

Have you ever felt that way?
Maybe not with a sickness, but maybe with a wayward child, a financial situation, or a job or whatever life has brought your way.
Every Christian I know who has tried to live for God's glory has faced times of disappointment.

I am reminded of what a Catholic priest said to me when I battled cancer and it applies to her as well:

"Who better to deal with this sickness than you? Who do you know that can handle it in a Godly way? 

Maybe that's why you have it...to do well with it for God."

Interesting words.
Powerful words.
Let's digest them for a moment with regards to being disappointed with God.

In my sickness with Cancer, this entire idea of a blog began because I wanted to 'finish well' like my friend whom is now in glory. 
He had cancer as well and as we worked together in ministry, that was his goal; in many ways, it was my goal as well.

I was given six months to live and I knew that if I died, I would be but an frame of what I once was; at the time I had lost nearly 40 pounds.
When my children, after my death, looked back at pictures of me, I knew they would see the changes in my physical frame but I did not want them to doubt the spiritual faith I had or believed.

You see, a Christian man in the ministry dying of cancer at 38 years old and in top physical condition otherwise, simply does not make sense.
What did make sense was Christ, even if the world was falling apart and I wanted them to be certain of that fact.

Yet, it is obvious, there would be mixed messages in the whole scenario if I died.

If you look to nature, we receive mixed messages as well; it is because we occupy the same fallen world.

In nature, we now name our storms, hurricanes and snowfalls. 
Yet, those strong winds prune the forest of excess branches.
The fires in the west, open up pods and clear underbrush so that new growth can take place.
And the floods of the mid-West and elsewhere, they carry fertile soil to parched land so that those areas remain America's breadbasket.

The natural forests, rivers and plains do not 'expect' these things to happen; yet, nature is dependent upon these 'disasters.'
In the same manner, the storms and crisis that come to our lives prunes things out of our hearts and souls that do not glorify God; through the process we become restored...or a better word, redeemed.

I have found since having Cancer that for many Christians, there is a huge gap between what they have 'expected' from God in being a Christian and what has actually been experienced in their Christian faith.

But what would we expect?

Today, and for many years prior, Christians have been fed a steady diet of all-you-can-eat heresy recorded in books, sermons, so-called 'Christian television' with testimonies from people who promise only triumph, pleasure and success within the Christian faith.

Gone is the doctrine of suffering for the Gospel witness; gone is waiting with the patience of Job. 
And gone with these truths is the 'whole counsel of God.'

In place of God's wise counsel is now the 'Prosperity Gospel,' which is a false gospel because there is only ONE Gospel and that is the Blood Gospel of Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, if there is not certain and dramatic evidence of the Lord working in and through a Christian's life, that particular Christian will have emotions of disappointment, sometimes even betrayal and often guilt because they will believe everyone else is experiencing and enjoying the blessings of God and they have yet to have this experience.
And they don't know why God is shutting them out of the prosperity, so it must be their fault.
Something must be wrong with them personally or spiritually.

Often I have found, if a person isn't experiencing the same blessings as another Christian, they will fake it; you know, tell a holy lie through a testimony, or singing or whatever.
But what they will not do is expose the truth in their hearts that what is believed and being taught is NOT what they are experiencing.

Friend, the most important thing if you have engaged in this, is quite simply to stop lying to yourself and confess it. 
You are not the only Christian who has found themselves in this situation when it comes to faith.

Disappointment with anything occurs when the actual reality of something, such as an experience, falls short of what we have anticipated in our minds.

When there is a steady stream of only victory from those trying to keep a show on television, prompt the purchase of a new book or attempt others to cast forth 'seed' money - the expectation will be high because of the promise of the 'return' because of your faith.
Yet, the principle of sowing and reaping is NOT to be compared to a financial investment.

It is un-Biblical and un-Christian to think God operates only within our man-made devices and schemes.

To only study Scripture with 'victory' or 'success' in mind would be similar to studying the history of the world by only researching the wars.
To promise constant 'victory' or 'success' without mentioning the wars that must take place to achieve them for the Lord invites ridicule, heresy and doubt. 

For example, Job was victorious and successful in the end; but the battle in the war to get him to that place was horrendous.
And what is more honorable about Job is not the fact that he was able to endure to the end and received a great blessing; but rather, it is the fact that Job was victorious before the blessing at the end without ever knowing why his great suffering had taken place.

Through it all, Job was faithful not because of what he was going to receive in the end but because he knew the God he served; in fact, Job had no idea that God was going to reward his faith as He did. 
That is why Job said these words amid the trial and suffering: 

"Though He may slay me, I will serve Him..."

There is, in the above statement, a truth of why people become disappointed with God.

Many Christians do not believe there is a service to God in the suffering of life's tragedies; ignoring the plight of the suffering Savior recorded by the prophet Isaiah in favor of the power of the Resurrected Lord, when in fact both elements are necessary to complete the truth of God in Jesus Christ.

We have been given the idea that God is just waiting to bless us financially, heal us physically and have us triumph spiritually, if we only had enough faith.
So, if you're not being 'blessed' with good health or more money, something is wrong with your faith.
Therefore, the more we do to show our faith, the more God will see it and the greater blessing will take place in your life.

My friend, that is what the Canaanites believed, not Israel and certainly not New Testament Christians.

We become disappointed with God, not because of God so much as it is with our own hearts.
Our hearts are out of place spiritually; we're in need of repentance and faith.

A Christian who expects to become wealthy because they have given a certain amount of dollars to a ministry is NOT operating on the Apostle Paul's principal of 'Sowing and Reaping.'

Instead they are operating on Capitalism's 'Investment and Yield Return' principal. 

In its very basic form, it is the idea that the more a person invests into something, the higher the yield of profits the person will get in return.

A Christian who believes that if they had enough faith, or gave enough money, or prayed hard enough...then, they would be healed of whatever ailment is striking their life; one who believes this is NOT mimicking Jesus' teaching, but rather the teaching of the Pharisees.
The truth is that Jesus sometimes healed people who didn't have any faith at all, didn't pray and He even raised the dead when they didn't ask.

When God moves, He moves how He chooses, in His time for His Sovereign purposes.
There is not one thing I can do that will make Him love me more, nor is there anything that will make Him love me less; God is simply God and we would do well in trying to stop bartering with Him for what we want and instead await with open hearts for what He wishes to give so that He may be glorified on the Earth.

Although some reading these words have become immensely aggravated at the Biblical teaching offered, here are a few final words concerning our relationship with God and having expectations.
- It would be nice to be healthy, but most of all, God desires that we are Holy as He is Holy.
- Its great to have wealth on the earth, but it is not necessary and not a requirement to demonstrate our faithfulness. Who did Jesus praise more, the man who gave out of his abundance or the widow who gave what she had from her heart?
- Prosperity isn't for everyone; maybe that is why Jesus never owned a home, walked everywhere He went, and never did anything that is normally associated with 'greatness.'
- Our command is to be like Jesus, not like the world.

As for being disappointed with God, the subject can be widely explored; it has been and will be even more so in the future.
But what I have found is that our disappointment is caused by our own heart issues; God not living up to what we thought or what somebody else has claimed.

Therefore, our disappointment with God, or God's acts or inaction, can mostly be attributed to you and I misunderstanding with misguided thoughts exactly what it is God is doing in the world and through our own lives.

I had Cancer and was given six months to live; as my friend asked, 'Who would be better to go through this than you?'
That question still lingers today...I couldn't think of anybody.

If you read Scripture, not looking for what you want to get out of it, but rather as a story from God with a definite plot and ending - you will soon see why we've been given what we have in God's Word. 

It is not a story about wealth or health and healing. 
It certainly isn't book after book of super-saints which should be followed.
It is not a list of 'do's' and 'don'ts'.
It's not any of the things that people normally associate with Scripture.

Scripture is the story of the fall and reconciliation of mankind to God his Creator.

If you read God's Word with this truth in mind, you will soon realize the hurtfulness of those preaching 'Health and Wealth,' and come to grips with man's true purpose on the earth.

Our purpose: To glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever.


May nature continue to sing its melody and may we join in the chorus, for eternity.
Until next time, win one for the good guys.