When God Disappoints

by Tischa Van de Reep

Have you ever trusted a person to fulfill a promise to you? We all have at various times in our lives. I’m sure you’ve experienced happiness and relief when promises were fulfilled, and disappointment and regret when they weren’t. With God, we’re told that things are different. We hear that God will never disappoint. He is the Promise Keeper, and His promises never fail. So what happens when they do? 

What happens when the baby isn’t conceived, or the marriage fails, or the prodigal doesn’t return, or the healing never comes? How do you hold on to God’s promises day after day with the starry-eyed optimism that you had in the beginning? How do you continue to trust Him when you see promises being fulfilled for others but never for you? What happens when the promise fades from view?

We look to the nature of the Promise Keeper, and not to His promises. We gain knowledge of God’s character and understanding of who He really is. The Bible teaches us clearly who God is. Psalm 33:4 tells us: “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.” Proverbs 30:5 tells us that “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” 1 John 4:8 says that “God is love.” 

So why would this loving God whose upright Word proves true, this protective God who does everything in faithfulness, why would He not fulfill every single promise to each of us?

In Isaiah 55:8-9, God declares the following to Isaiah:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

You see, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, how we view God’s promises changes. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:2 to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” This means that we must have a heavenly perspective in everything, including when we think about the promises of God. Focusing on God the Father, His character, His mighty outstretched arm, and His steadfast love—looking at King Jesus, His life, His teachings, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His future triumphant return and contemplating the Holy Spirit, how He dwells within us, giving us the power and wisdom of the Almighty God. Keeping our eyes on God instead of the promises we seek puts us in heavenly places. Then we can see clearly.

God is for us, not against us (Romans 8:31). He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He will command His angels concerning us (Psalm 91:1). And we will never be snatched from His hand (John 10:28). 

The truth is, when it comes to promises that we seek from God regarding our bodies, our relationships, or our earthly circumstances, we may be disappointed. But that doesn’t mean that God is any less good, any less faithful, or any less mighty to save. It simply means that in His higher wisdom, He has other plans in mind.

All God’s spiritual promises for His children—forgiveness of sins, eternal life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a new heaven and earth, forever with Jesus, every tear wiped away—will be fulfilled, and some already are. God is more concerned with our spiritual condition than our earthly condition. That’s why Jesus gave His life on the cross for us. He didn’t come to conquer the Roman Empire. He came to conquer sin and death!

In John 16:33, Jesus says: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” You will have trouble that will hurt, trouble that will disappoint, trouble that may cause you to wrestle with your faith. But take heart because Jesus has overcome the source of your trouble – this sinful, broken world. In the context of this worldly existence, we may not yet see the impact of Christ’s victory, but we have so much to place our hope in.

It is hard when the promises of God we seek are not for us. Believe me, I’ve been there. But it would be so much harder if everything we hoped for ended here. If all we had to look forward to was on this earth, in this life, that would be much worse than our disappointments. If we could see no further than this world and our circumstances, that would be crushing indeed. But we have a wider perspective, all the way to the heavens, as infinite as our God! And so, we keep our eyes on Him over and above what we want from Him. We seek His face over His hand because He is righteous, He is faithful, and His Word proves true.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your everlasting love for me. Thank You for the promise of eternity with You. Even though there are things that I’m hoping for on earth, may Your will be done, Lord. I trust You and Your plan. Please lead me in knowing You better so that I can rest in who You are. I love You, Lord Jesus. It is in Your beautiful name that I pray. AMEN.

Tischa van de Reep

Tischa is a Trinidad-born writer and speaker. She is the mother of two sons, Julian and Aidan. Tischa brings authenticity and vulnerability to all her teachings on Scripture. She is the author of “Unpopular: Following Jesus, Not the Crowd,” as well as several other Bible studies and teachings. Apart from teaching Scripture from her living room and various churches, Tischa’s work in ministry extends from homeless women in Houston to expat wives in Budapest, Hungary, to rural villagers in Malawi, Africa, and women across the US. For more info, go to tischavandereep.com