At the start of 2019, I am excited about all the possibilities that lie ahead of me, but at the same time, I can’t help but ponder events of the past year and relive some of the disappointments. There were so many times during the year where it felt like I was giving one step forward yet two steps back. As much as I am optimistic at the beginning of every year, I must be realistic and realize that disappointments will come over my path again this year. Yet the important question is how can I handle them in a biblical way? I know there will be times when I will disappoint myself and there will be times when people I love will disappoint me. How do we deal with disappointments without becoming bitter and disillusioned?
I believe we can find three great pointers on how to deal with these situations in the book of Habakkuk. The name Habakkuk means to embrace or to wrestle and it literally seems as though Habakkuk is wrestling with God with the honest questions that he poses to Him throughout the short book. So, the first thing I believe we should do is:
- Tell God how you feel
Hab. 1:2 “How long oh God must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you “Violence!” but you do not save?”
God can handle it if we pour out our hearts and our disappointments to Him. He isn’t surprised at our emotions because He created them! David often poured out his heart before the Lord, and I believe we should do so too, but at the same time, we should make time to hear His reply to us. Expect Him to answer you just like he answered Habakkuk (see Hab. 1:5 -11 and Hab. 2)
- Trust His timing
Hab. 2:3 “…Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay”
Sometimes we just need to wait for God’s timing and trust Him with the detail of our lives. Delay does not always mean denial. Your disappointments of the past year can be turned into re-appointments during this year. When we feel upset about circumstances we should meditate on the fact that God’s ways are perfect and so is His timing.
- Thank Him in the face of tough circumstances
Hab. 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no fruit, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”
As hard as this last one might be, I think it is the most important, because it really shows God that we trust Him and that we know that His ways and His plans for us are perfect. This gives us reason to rejoice despite what we see going on around us! The Bible says that faith is the evidence of things unseen (Heb 11:1). When all we see with our physical eyes are despair and disappointments, we can ask God to give us faith to see the unseen and to believe in better things to come! We can be assured of His perfect timing and know that He will turn our disappointments around and give us the strength to hope once again.
The Faithfulness of God 