DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT

“You have said, ‘Woe is me, because the Lord has added misery to my pain! I am worn out with groaning and have found no rest.’” (Jeremiah 45:3 HCSB)

I was thinking the other day about the word, “disappointment.” It is a composite word. The root word is appointment. An appointment is an arranged time and place to meet or the selection for a position or job. When you put the prefix, “dis” in front of a word, it negates it. We may have in our minds that we have an appointment to marry and have the position of being a spouse, but now the years have passed and we are still single—that is disappointment. We long for a child, to be a father or mother, yet we advance beyond the child-bearing years and still no baby—that is disappointment. We work hard at our job, and expect a promotion, but others are chosen while we are passed by—that’s disappointment. We preach our heart out and yet the church doesn’t grow, but the church down the road does, even drawing some of our members—that’s disappointment.

We all have to some degree had the experience. You will not escape life on planet earth without knowing disappointment. Sometimes the disappointments are much—they may be a lot, they may be large—they might be both!

So, the question is not whether life will deal me disappointments, but how will I deal with the disappointments life deals?

Baruch had to deal with disappointment. What he learned provides us with valuable lessons.

We may face UNRELENTING DIFFICULTY.

“[This is] the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote these words on a scroll at Jeremiah's dictation in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: “You have said, ‘Woe is me, because the Lord has added misery to my pain! I am worn out with groaning and have found no rest.’” ‘This is what you are to say to him: “This is what the Lord says: What I have built I am about to demolish, and what I have planted I am about to uproot-the whole land!”’” (Jer.45:1-4)

These verses feature words like “woe,” “misery,” “pain,” “worn out,” “groaning,” “no rest,” “demolish,” and “uproot.” Individually, those terms convey difficulty, but pile them one on top of the other and you have a disaster! We might wobble when a problem blows up around us, but when you are bombarded with one after another, how can you stand up? That is unrelenting difficulty. You can’t relax. You can’t even catch your breath. Baruch was feeling like that—so he complained. He expressed his disappointment with God. We understand. All of us have been there. Some of us are there right now.

God did answer him. That was good, wasn’t it?

God told him, “You think it’s bad now? It’s going to get worse.” That was probably not what he wanted to hear.

Several years ago, I had a persistent staph infection in my leg. Oral antibiotics, and even a shot, weren’t helping, so I went to the hospital, burning up with fever and would be admitted for treatment. While I am no celebrity, there are a number of people who know me because of my position and sure enough, I ran into some church folk who were in the waiting room. They inquired what was wrong. When I told them, a lady looked at me and said, “My mother died from that.”

Just what I wanted to hear.

Now someone might think, how can you a man of God have to be hospitalized for a week? Where is your faith to claim your miracle? We may think we are appointed to health and wealth just because we are servants of God, and when we find out otherwise that brings disappointment.

You are not immunized from the disease of difficulty because you are a faithful servant of the Lord. Baruch certainly was. He had stood by Jeremiah when it was dangerous to do so (review Jeremiah 36). Baruch had delivered Jeremiah’s message to King Jehoiakim knowing full well it would anger the sinful despot. He stayed true to his task when it was difficult to do so. Jehoiakim’s response to all that Baruch labored to write was to cut it into pieces and burn it! Then the scribe had to write it all over again—and then some.

Life in Jerusalem had not gotten better. The city was like a plane in a death spiral plunging toward impact. One difficulty after another—unrelenting pressure—he was finally worn out, spent in disappointment.

It is a brutal reality. Life is tough. It can be very tough. The sooner we accept that fact, the better. Little Orphan Annie sang, “The sun will come out tomorrow.” Right, Annie, and a fair-skinned red-head like you may get a severe sunburn! Unrealistic expectations compound unrelenting difficulties.

There was only one perfect Servant, one stainless Son of God—and what did He face? He suffered as no man ever did, or will, or can. Do we think we deserve better than Jesus? We are appointed to carry a cross and share His suffering.

Listen to this exhortation, “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3)

Disappointments are His appointments.

We may fight UNFULFILLED DESIRE.

“But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking!” (Jer.45:5a)

Baruch had ambition. He wanted to go places. Being committed to the Lord, he was convinced that God would honor that. By delighting in the Lord, God would give him the desires of his heart—wasn’t that a promise? God won’t break a promise, will He?

Of course God cannot lie. The sticking point is—was Baruch delighting in the Lord, and thereby his desires were submitted to God’s designs? Or was this man, struggling with selfish ambition and wanting to use God as his servant to fulfill it? Lest you think I am being judgmental toward Baruch, I want you to know that I recognize this attitude because I strive against it and sometimes surrender to it.

We want a “quid pro quo” relationship with God. I’ll do this for you God, if you’ll do this for me. So, we look for the appointment. We run to the mailbox everyday to claim our reward…and only find it empty. The Post Office didn’t deliver. Neither did God. All we got was disappointment.

Is that fair?

What do you think?

Jesus asked His disciples that question when they were being overwhelmed by unfulfilled desire.

“Which one of you having a slave tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink'? Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves; we've only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:7-10)

We aren’t just appointed to suffer for Him, we are appointed to serve Him. That’s what slaves do, and that’s what we are. Do we want a pat on the back for doing our duty?

Ours is an entitlement culture. We want what is coming to us. I deserve better than what I have. Class envy is a real issue. The current political landscape is shaped by this debate—how can I get more than I have? Will I look to the government to take from the rich and give it to me, or will I trust in the marketplace and know that if I work hard, I’ll get what I deserve? The former has never worked, and the latter may not always. It gives better opportunity, but doesn’t guarantee success.

So, what do we do? Give your expectations to God. Submit to His will. Do the right thing and leave the results to God. Trust Him, even when you don’t understand His ways. Disappointments are His appointments.

That brings me to the final consideration. We can find UNDESERVED DELIVERANCE.

“For I am about to bring disaster on every living creature'-[this is] the Lord's declaration-'but I will grant you your life like the spoils [of war] wherever you go.'" (Jer.45:5b)

Baruch might not have relief from his burdens; he might not have riches in material blessings. What he would get is the redemption of his being.

We should really be glad we don’t get what we deserve. If God actually gave us what we were entitled to, we would all be in hell—and I would be in one of the hotter parts, sinner that I am. The next time you are tempted to complain about your suffering, just remember, “This is a lot better than suffering in hell!” The next time you are tempted to complain about being a slave, just think, “This is a lot better than being in the chains of outer darkness!”

Is heaven enough? Is present deliverance of your soul and a promised destiny in glory sufficient reward in itself? Is Jesus our all—our everything? Or do we still crave more?

When the disciples returned from a fairly successful mission trip, Jesus essentially told them that it was a victory to celebrate, but what was far better was to rejoice that they were saved. Winning a game is good, but winning the championship is the ultimate—and that trophy is presented in heaven.

“The Seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.’

He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash. Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will ever harm you. However, don't rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’" (Luke 10:17-20)

They could not always count on success, but they could always count on salvation!

Some of the best people have been disappointed with God. John the Baptist was. He had been a loyal preacher and all it did was land him on death row. He waited for his miracle and what he got was martyrdom. Before he lost his head, he expressed his disappointment:

“When Jesus had finished giving orders to His 12 disciples, He moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent [a message] by his disciples and asked Him, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

Jesus replied to them, ‘Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.

And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.’” (Matt.11:1-6)

Disappointments are His appointments, and God had appointed John to a special task. It cost him everything, but he would gain far more—on the other side. But, so do all who follow Christ.

“As these men went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear soft clothes are in kings' palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

This is the one it is written about:

Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You; he will prepare Your way before You.

‘I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’”

It’s great to be willing to suffer for the Lord. It is great to serve the Lord. It is the greatest thing of all to be saved by the Lord! We don’t deserve it. We could never earn it. Jesus gave it, and at such a price!

Disappointments are His appointments—and here is the appointment which is best of all:

“When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)

Rejoice in that!

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.

This hope will not disappoint [us], because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

You will not be disappointed!