God never disappoints

For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10)

Our lives can be defined by how we handle the challenges we face. Our raw determination and courage often strengthen and enable us to overcome our difficulties. Other times, obstacles assail and strike us down. Perhaps one of the most debilitating conundrums we face is the feeling of disappointment. Worse yet, when dejection is facilitated by the hands of those we trusted, the ensuing despair can be palpable. 

As a young adult, I longed to be swept off my feet by a love so deep that we could scarcely stand to be apart. Romance may be the stuff that movies, gothic novels, and countless enterprises are made of, but the reality is that true life seldom resembles a movie screen. As a person who’s spent her life seeking ways to demonstrate love to others, never finding that “true love” in another person has been a bit disappointing, to say the least. My experiences, instead, have been physical and emotional abuse, broken promises by another who claimed to “love” me, and beautiful words of adoration and undying devotion from a man who turned out to be married. 

Friendships, too, have often proven themselves more discouraging than uplifting. I’ve had several close friends turn against me – one, recently, due to our differences on the topic of COVID vaccinations. I was shocked and saddened to have her eviscerate me, via text, with a message stating that my “egregiously selfish actions and ‘religious freedom’ are directly responsible for harming others.” That not being enough of a knife to my gut, she questioned the faith that drives my existence by stating, “I fail to see how this could be considered the actions of a Christian. I hope that someday you will be forgiven.” 

My married sister once told me that “single people are selfish” while we were on a trip together to a place she wanted to see that I’d driven across three states to take her to. A recent call from her reminded me that she still feels the same. It’s distressing to know that no matter how I work to demonstrate kindness and love to her, she seems determined never to see it. 

Today I learned that my mom and brother had abandoned their plans to move to my state. We had often discussed this consideration, but when an opportunity came for them to purchase the house next to mine, I, admittedly, began thinking how nice it would be to have them close by. Our once-a-year visits together would be replaced by daily encounters, affording us the ability to interact and share each other’s burdens in a much more literal sense. I hadn’t realized how much I was looking forward to all of that until I heard their decision. The ensuing heavy-heartedness hit me as yet another rejection.

That’s the world, isn’t it? People disappoint us. Friends betray us. Families reject us. 

Nevertheless, it’s encouraging to know that God never will. 

The Psalmist, David, captured this reminder perfectly when he said, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God.” (Psalm 42:11)

David knew a thing or two about disappointment and rejection. He demonstrated great bravery in standing up to the giant Goliath – thus saving the Israelites from Philistine enslavement. And yet his brother saw him as nothing but a nuisance. 

“When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.'” (1 Samuel 17:28)

After becoming King Saul’s helper in the palace and playing his harp for the king whenever his spirit was disquieted, Saul’s heart turned against David. 

“The next day, a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, and he hurled it, thinking, ‘I will pin David to the wall.’ But David eluded him twice.” (1 Samuel 18: 10-11)

Thus began a series of thwarted attempts by Saul to take the life of David, of whom he was jealous and afraid. Over the next ten years, David lived like a fugitive, running for his life from Saul despite never having done anything to provoke the king. 

At one of the lowest points in David’s life, he recorded his sadness while living in a cave outside of the Philistine town of Gath. You may recall that Gath is the town where Goliath hailed from. In his fear, David found himself not only petitioning his enemies for help but humiliating himself in front of others – portraying himself as a madman to escape their wrath. 

“So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands, he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. [King] Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?'” (1 Samuel 21: 13-14)

It is then that David recorded a Psalm that detailed his great sadness. His family had turned against him. He had lost his wife and promised inheritance for killing Goliath. His best friend, Prince Jonathan, had bid him fairwell forever, and the king and all his warriors were hunting him out of jealousy. 

Listen to the words of David’s despair. 

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (Psalm 13: 1-4)

But the story didn’t end there. When David was at the lowest point of his life, he remembered that God was still with him.

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.” (Psalm 13: 5-6)

David’s faith serves as a sober reminder to focus my eyes on my Creator rather than on those He created. The world and everything in it, including me, are flawed and imperfect – but God never is. 

God’s love is ever faithful. God’s promises will always endure. God’s provision will always sustain. I won’t let the world or anyone in it determine my worth. God never disappoints, and I will always trust in Him.