Question 1

Why should I anticipate frustration?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 3:17-18To the man he [God] said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.”Micah 6:15“You will plant crops but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your wine.”Frustration is a consequence of the curse of sin: things don’t work right or they break, and events just don’t go the way we want them to. While we shouldn’t welcome frustration, we shouldn’t be surprised by it. We live in a fallen, sinful world with fallen, sinful people; so we should expect obstacles and resistance in all forms. When we realize and accept that frustrations are part of everyday life, we will be better prepared to handle it in a positive way.John 16:33“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”1 Thessalonians 2:18We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us.Satan often tries to hinder God’s work, causing frustrations for those who serve God. We should not allow these frustrations to discourage us. The very fact we are being opposed so vigorously means Satan is afraid of what God is doing in and through us. As we resist Satan, we can be confident that regardless of how the battle ends, Jesus will win the war.

Question 2

Why do I get frustrated?

Accepted Answer

Micah 6:15“You will plant crops but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your wine.”Sometimes we can become frustrated when our hard work doesn’t pay off.James 4:3Even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.At times we may feel frustrated in our prayers, expecting answers that never come. We may be failing to see the bigger picture of why God isn’t answering us.Job 10:18“‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb? Why didn’t you let me die at birth?”Pain and suffering lead to frustrations.Numbers 20:5, 10“Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!” . . . Then he [Moses] and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”Psalm 35:11-12Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.People often frustrate us.

Question 3

What should frustrate me?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 94:3How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?We should be frustrated by the evil all around us.

Question 4

How should I respond to frustration?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 21:2People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.Examining the sources of our frustrations can help us figure out how to deal with them. Being frustrated in our quest to do good and being frustrated because we are not getting our way are quite different things. Each frustration must be dealt with based on its source.Joshua 1:9“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”Though we constantly deal with frustrations, we shouldn’t be discouraged. God will give us the strength and courage we need to see us through.Exodus 17:4Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”John 6:7Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”When frustrated, we should take our frustrations to God. Many of our problems are outside our control—but not outside God’s power. Even our more manageable problems should be faced with God’s help and guidance.Proverbs 13:3Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.Proverbs 15:1A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.James 3:5-6In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.We must watch what we say when we are frustrated. Once words leave our lips, we can’t take them back.Psalm 90:14Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.Ecclesiastes 1:8Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.Ecclesiastes 2:20So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.Isaiah 35:8-9A great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there. Lions will not lurk along its course, nor any other ferocious beasts. There will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will walk on it.Acts 17:25“Human hands can’t serve his [God’s] needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.”James 4:13-15Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”We often try to plan and control everything in our lives. We want our time to be well spent, our problems to be understood and solved, and our goals to be met. We are just trying to serve God the best we can, right? But as we try to tighten our control, we inevitably become frustrated. Plans fall apart. Problems spiral out of control. Goals become insurmountable. At that point, we must turn to God, asking him why he let the plan go wrong. Often, the answer is that the plan was ours, not his. While working hard, being prepared, and persevering are good, a key part of the Christian life is flexibility. Releasing control and moving where God directs us can be scary. God doesn’t always show us our destination, but we can trust he is guiding our steps.

Question 5

What frustrates God?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 78:40-42Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland. Again and again they tested God’s patience and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.Hosea 6:4“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. “For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.”Matthew 23:37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”God is frustrated as he gives unending love, mercy, and forgiveness to his people, only to see them block these blessings and starve their souls in a spiritual desert.

Question 6

Does God ever cause frustration?

Accepted Answer

Numbers 22:24-31Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.Sometimes, God raises obstacles against our plans when they are not in alignment with his own.Job 5:12“He [God] frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed.”God often frustrates the plans of evil people.