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Disappointment With God

Job 15:12-13 (ESV) — Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?

Have you felt disappointed in God? Have you ever wondered how something could have been permitted to happen in your life? My wife and I lead weekend retreats for parents who have lost children. In our conversations with these parents, we regularly hear the disbelief that they feel about their circumstances. They recount moments where their hearts were gripped with confusion, anger, and disbelief that God took their child. You don’t have to lose a child to resonate with those kinds of questions. 

In our passage today, we see one of Job’s friends ask him, “Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?” This question follows some of Job’s complaints and struggles he is enduring as he’s lost his family and wealth. Notice the content of the question. He asks why Job has let his heart, his emotions, carry him away into these complaints. He asks why Job’s spirit has turned against God to bring such talk out of his mouth. These questions are fair. We should examine what is happening in our hearts and minds when we are angry at God. But we should also recognize that our disappointment in God is a real feeling we may have when life weighs on us. 

There are many things that can bring this on our hearts. Losing a child. Receiving a bad medical diagnosis. Getting passed over for the job promotion. Not earning the raise or bonus you expected. Struggling with a rebellious child. Uncertainty about what is coming after school. A breakup or divorce from someone we love. There is no end to the things that often go the opposite direction of what we would plan if we were God. So our hearts lash out and wonder why God has chosen to do it this way. What disappointment in God brings us to is a reality that we are not God. We are creatures. We are completely dependent upon Him. Our trust in Him shouldn’t be dependent on getting what we want in life, but in recognizing He is wiser than we are. You can take your disappointments to Him.


Reflection & Journal:
- Do you believe Job’s friend is asking a fair question?
- What circumstances have you experienced that have produced disappointment in God?
- How can we guard our hearts and minds from hardening toward God when we hurt?


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