Encouragement for Today

August 21, 2024 If Hoping Feels Hard MEGHAN RYAN ASBURY Lee en español

“My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak” Psalm 31:10 (NIV)

We don’t often talk about the grief that comes with disappointment.

Grief does not just accompany a physical death; it also accompanies the death of a relationship or a dream. Grief signals that something has not turned out the way we want.

Often we are expected to move on too quickly — but in our grief, we are actually more available to experience comfort and kindness. Even more, we are available to experience God’s presence.

In my own past grief, the previous two sentences would not have made me feel better … at least not immediately. Knowing God could comfort me in my pain was not the problem; I knew He could change my situation, yet He’d chosen not to. This honestly made me question if He was the loving God I thought He was.

But God can handle our honesty.

Have you read any of David’s psalms? Just look at today’s key verse: “My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak” (Psalm 31:10).

David often started his prayers with honest emotion, then eventually turned his thoughts back to what is true about God. When he was experiencing heartbreak or drowning in fear, he wrote about those experiences — then reminded himself of God’s comfort and kindness. He recalled what God had already done in his life and clung to hope that God would rescue him again.

We see this in Psalm 31 if we skip down a few verses: “How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you” (Psalm 31:19, NIV).

We can be honest about the pain of disappointment and hopeful that God can change it.

But we struggle to hold this tension. Hoping seems scary when we've felt constantly disappointed. When we’ve experienced repeated losses and letdowns, believing there is good ahead seems impossible. We forget God moves outside our framework of understanding.

Friend, if you’re struggling with disappointment today, can I invite you to bring it to God like David did? Start by being honest. Let it all out, and tell Him how you feel. But don’t stop there. Declare out loud who He is and what He has done in your life.

Then dare to allow hope to enter in.

Our hope is in the Lord — not only for things we can imagine but also for things beyond our wildest dreams.

God, I confess my disappointment to You now. I come before You with every honest emotion, question and doubt I carry. And I ask You to show me who You are. Remind me what is true about You, even if my circumstances don’t seem to line up with that truth. Help me to hold both honesty and hope together. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

What if God has more in store for your life than you’ve given Him credit for? The pressure of unmet milestones and unfulfilled dreams can make you feel like you’ve already missed out on the life you were “supposed” to have. But you don’t have to exhaust yourself by trying to keep up — you can enjoy what’s right in front of you. Click here to preorder Meghan Ryan Asbury’s new book, You Are Not Behind: Building a Life You Love without Having Everything You Want, today, and get the first three chapters immediately!

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Connect daily with Meghan @meghanryanasbury for biblical encouragement and practical ways to grow in your faith. And don’t miss opportunities to get free resources and more tools to help you build a life you love through her weekly newsletter at alwaysmeghan.com.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (NIV).

What disappointment are you currently facing? What does the Bible say is true of God’s character, even if you are struggling to believe it?

What is something you are hopeful for? Share with us in the comments!

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