Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the weight of disappointment? We are met with disappointment when our hopes and expectations are left unfulfilled. In a world where we’ve been let down, hope can feel like a dangerous thought to hold onto in our minds. The world may point us in directions that make it easier to choose cynicism, but God calls us into something more profound. We are called to be people of hope! This hope is secure in the future because of the resurrection of Christ and His victory over death in His resurrection life.

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Our Father is so good! God’s character is entirely absolute; He never changes. Because God is good, King David shares that he finds rest in His Father and chooses confidence over fear. The beginning of this psalm opens with an expression of deep confidence in God as David takes all of his worries to God and trusts that He will be victorious with whatever he lays at his Father’s feet. David felt assured that no matter what difficulties or disappointments he encountered, he would see the greatness of God in the world around him.

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As we face challenges in life, we know that our sufferings “produce endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). In our suffering, trials, and disappointments, how can we choose to see the greatness of God in the world around us? It’s often in the most challenging times that God does the most work in our hearts and lives, so there is an opportunity here!

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First, we can continuously seek to align our hearts and minds with how God sees the world, rather than our own earthly perspectives. And even better, we don’t have to do that alone! We lean on the Holy Spirit, asking him to help us sift through the disappointments that enter our lives and see how God might be working a better plan through them.

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As you think about one thing that feels heavy on your heart this week, ask God: what does it look like for me to lay the weight of my disappointment at your feet?

God, thank you for being such a good Father. As challenging moments continue to arise in my life, I ask that you guide me in how to walk through these trials with faith and courage. I surrender my fears and doubts, knowing that only you can fill the spaces in my heart where disappointment and emptiness lie. Lord, I ask that you strengthen my heart as I journey with you. When I feel disappointed, help me to fix my eyes and turn towards you, the God of all hope. Amen.