Finding God In Your Disappointment - Trusting God with the Unexpected

Finding God in Your Disappointment

“Suddenly, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:9, CSB)

The past five months had been a whirlwind of change in my life. I thought I was on track to expand my growing business when, suddenly, everything came crashing down. I exhausted my options to move forward with my original plan and I felt like a failure. Frustrated, I wrestled with God about my future. I was faithful to what I thought you brought me to… how could you let this happen? Considering all I worked to build was suddenly gone, I questioned my ability to hear God’s voice.

I wonder if the great prophet Elijah felt this way. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah had the ultimate showdown with King Ahab and the Canaanite god Baal on Mt. Carmel, demonstrating YHWH’s power as the source of all life and sustenance for the people. Baal hadn’t shown up, but God brought fire from Heaven – a powerful sign for the people to recognize and worship the Lord.

Running alongside King Ahab’s chariot on their return to Jezreel, Elijah had all the hope in the world that the kingdom of Israel would return to God. However, the ultimate disappointment followed when Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, refused to honor God and took a personal oath to kill Elijah (talk about a bad day!). In fear and discouragement, Elijah fled to the place he knew the Lord had met with humans in the past – Mt. Sinai.

For his journey to the mountain, an angel provided for his physical needs. And when he arrived, God revealed himself in a way that provided for Elijah’s soul. God didn’t respond to Elijah’s need with mighty displays of wind, earthquakes, or fire – all demonstrations Elijah had seen before. No – God called to Elijah in “a still, small voice.” The Hebrew translation for this expression is “a sound of thin silence.” “What are you doing here, Elijah?” was the heart-whisper Elijah heard – tender toward his weary heart.

I find it reassuring that God didn’t chastise Elijah for his fearful and deeply emotional retelling of how the Israelites abandoned the covenant and threats to Elijah’s life. None of this was new information to God. God simply wanted Elijah to articulate his need. With a whisper to Elijah’s heart, the Lord revealed his compassionate posture toward him by giving him reassurance and a new mission (1 Kings 19:15-18).

Isn’t that just like the God we know today, too? Like Elijah, I was emotionally spent and exhausted from trying to fulfill my expectations. I was disappointed in my circumstances and, more honestly, with God, too. Nothing had lived up to the results that should have happened in my life. I prayed that God would speak to me with a powerful sign – I asked that His wisdom strike me like lightning from Heaven. Instead, a quiet space in my heart heard his reassurance: I’m not going to drop you.

With these words, God also seeded a new assignment in my heart, and each step of faith built confidence and trust as I relied on him for provision. While my career change felt like an uncomfortable whiplash, I felt the Lord’s promise of hope.

God’s response to our desperation isn’t always flashy and miraculous from the outside looking in. We can run to Him for every need and tune our ears in attention to the sound of the thin silences.

Reflect:

If you’re feeling weary and exhausted, what do you need? Sometimes, our bodies simply need food and a nap to recharge. God cares about that, too.

From the Book: