Unmet Expectations
"We do not lose heart.”
2 Corinthians 4:1,16 (NIV)
Note: Today’s Bible Bits is an excerpt of a talk I gave last week for a women’s luncheon. This summer the group is attempting to answer the question “What does the Bible say about…?” My assigned topic was unmet expectations. Other “What does the Bible say about?” topics include forgiveness, rest, anxiety, and grief. More information on Women’s Business Leaders’ Summer Series can be found here.
Have you ever been disappointed in God? Or maybe a better question is, have you ever been disappointed by God? Did you ever expect a difficult situation to resolve one way only to wind up with something completely different?
If so, you're not alone. The prophet Elijah came face to face with his own crisis of faith when he experienced unmet expectations. Elijah quickly spiraled from disappointment into discouragement and ultimately despair and utter hopelessness.
You can read Elijah's story for yourself in 1 Kings 18 and 19. 1 Kings 18 records the confrontation between Israel’s evil King Ahab and God's faithful prophet Elijah. There's a great spiritual showdown on Mount Carmel to determine who is the One true and living God. It's God's man Elijah against 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah. By the end of the day, Elijah tears down the false altars, restores God’s altar for worship, kills all the false prophets, and the people of Israel fall down to acknowledge the true and living God exclaiming, "The Lord- he is God!" (1 Kings 18:39)
It's a really great story and if it ended there, we'd have a happy ending. But our story doesn't end with the people's return to worship the one true God. That's what Elijah expected after the great showdown. Instead, nothing changed! The Israelites' hearts, and subsequently their worship, didn't change because the people (just like us) don't just need a prophet, they need a Savior! Only God can change a heart!
Elijah's disappointment with God begins the next day after his great victory on Mount Carmel. Elijah, the man who battled 850 false prophets just the day before, receives a royal death threat from the wicked Queen Jezebel, is terrified, and runs for his life. He winds up alone in the desert, sitting under a broom tree and prays, "I have had enough, Lord. Take my life!" (1 Kings 19:4) Elijah prays to die even as he is running from a woman’s death threat. He has literally reached his limit. His disappointment progresses quickly to discouragement and finally to despair and utter hopelessness.
There are five discouragement triggers found in 1 Kings 19:
Fear (1 Kings 19:3)
Fatigue (1 Kings 19:4)
Failure (1 King 19:10)
Frustration (1 Kings 19:4)
Loss of focus (I Kings 19:10)
God's answer to Elijah's despair is much different than we might expect. He doesn't give Elijah a pep talk, sermon, or spiritual spanking. Instead, God forces him to face his unmet expectations before meeting Elijah exactly where he is: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. God’s cure for Elijah’s despair begins with His gracious provision of food, water, rest, and a fresh touch from God. More importantly, God then reminds Elijah of His power and presence as He invites him to stand on His mountain hidden in the cleft of the rock (1 Kings 19:13).
God's question - "what are you doing here, Elijah?"- is important, not only to force Elijah to examine his own heart, but also to cause us to examine our hearts. The key to overcoming our disappointment, discouragement, and despair is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The operative word is "fixed." We can't just glance at Jesus and then focus on our circumstances, disappointment, or self. Instead, like the Apostle Paul, we need a fixed focus and eternal gaze (2 Corinthians 4:18). We must remember that God is always bigger than our despair and His plans and promises are always better than ours. Holding onto God's grace and glory is the only way to deal with the disappointment and loss that is such a part of life. The real issue is always my heart, never my circumstances.
Author and Bible teacher Paige Brown wisely says, "Don't sit in the shadow of the broom tree saying, 'It is enough!' Instead, sit in the shadow of the cross and say, 'It is finished!'"
God’s purposes and plans are always so much bigger and better than anything we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Thank God for unmet expectations!