Have you ever felt certain that something special was about to happen and then… nothing. Maybe you were believing that your breakthrough was imminent but then the “cloud the size of a man’s hand” drifted back out to sea?
Too many times to mention, I have been sure that my suddenly was upon me. I believed that I was about to see a turnaround in my circumstances but then precious little happened.
What do you do with those moments? How do you deal with the disappointment? How do you avoid drifting into discouragement?
Pour it out
I love how honest the psalmists were with the Lord. They told Him exactly how they felt and then found their way back into faith.
Asaph wrote 12 psalms. He was close to King David and had a similar openness of heart in prayer. He went through a terrible trial and was awfully disappointed.
We can learn from how he dealt with it in prayer. First, he had it out with the Lord! He vented his frustrations to his Heavenly Father:
“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? And I said, “This is my anguish…” Psalms 77:7-10
He told God how he really felt and poured out his disappointment. If you’re feeling let down, let the Lord know. He can handle your inner anguish so pour out your pain in His presence.
Pick yourself up
Once Asaph had given his grievance to God, he was ready to encourage himself again:
“But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.” Psalms 77:10b-12
He chose to remember God’s goodness. He deliberately looked back at the faithfulness of the Lord. He reminded himself what a wonderful God we serve.
Truly, God is good! I encourage you to join Asaph and focus afresh on His faithfulness. Remember all the great things that He has done for you in the past. He never changes. What He has done before, He will do again.
Believe again
By the time Asaph has finished thinking about the blessings of God, He is encouraged and ready to believe again. He is rejoicing and his heart is happy:
“Who is so great a God as our God?” Psalms 77:13b
There is great power in pouring out our pain. However, we can’t stop there. Once we have told God how we feel, we must be quick to turn our hearts to praise. Praise confounds the enemy and pleases God. Not only that, it is an important key to lasting breakthrough.
If you would like a spa for your soul, a spiritual deep clean, come along to Healed for Life. God will deal with the deep things of your heart, leaving you refreshed and revitalised, ready for the year ahead.
