Trusting God When Disappointment Knocks

Disappointment can make or break our faith.

THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

“Everything is possible for one who believes. Immediately the boy’s father explained, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
(Mark 9: 23b-24).

You may know him as the grandfather of evolutionary psychology, but Charles Darwin was also a devoted father of 10 children. On April 23, 1851, his happy existence was shattered by the death of his oldest daughter, Annie, who died from tuberculosis just after turning 10 years old. Overcome with grief, the impact on Darwin’s faith and marriage was devastating. Rather than turn to God for comfort, his pain led him to search for a solution to the non-existence of God who was seemingly so unbenevolent.

We’ve all felt feelings of doubt and uncertainty in our lives that can either make our faith stronger or plant seeds of distrust. There’s a real danger when disappointments pull us away from God where we begin doubting His goodness, His promises, and our own calling. We can even go as far as accusing God of not helping us in the way we wanted or deserve. In our fragile state of belief, the enemy makes his move instilling lies about God in our hearts and robbing us of our passion and desire. Many self-proclaimed atheists who don’t believe in the existence of God arrived at that conclusion after a season of disappointment.

In Mark 9, we’re reminded of how precarious our faith can be with the account of a demon possessed boy and his desperate father seeking Jesus for help. One thing that is clear from the passage is the dad’s recognition of his need for Jesus’ intervention but it’s also clear that he’s not entirely confident that He can help him with his response, “if you can do anything.” Jesus sensing his doubt, questions the man’s qualifier and calls him to a more confident faith with his words, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” While Jesus isn’t suggesting that God will grant us everything we ask for, He is calling us to ask in faith knowing and believing that God is able to do the impossible.

Even in our best days, we are people of imperfect faith. In seasons of disappointment and uncertainty, it’s critical that we come to God, bring our requests before Him, and seek His face in prayerful dependency. Let us be a people who rely on God in the pain and disappointments of living in a fallen world. Therein lies the secret to a life of faith!

Listen to the sermon series: I Believe but Help My Unbelief!

Part 1Part 2

Ministry Update from Mark

I’m not a golfer, but Dee and I had the opportunity of visiting the PING headquarters in Phoenix. It’s an impressive operation, producing 12,000 high-caliber golf clubs a day. What impressed me the most, however, is the story behind PING. Karsten Solheim, inventor and Norwegian immigrant, and his wife Louise built the company from the ground up. Strong believers who met at a Christian youth group, they built the company on principles found in 10 different verses, the first being Proverbs 3:5–6. I love to see people of faith building their businesses on godly principles. A fun fact? Several Solheim family members are also alums of the Moody Bible Institute!