What do you do when you feel

 like God has let you down?

 

I recently listened to a sermon on this topic and as it struck close to home, I listened intently, with open ears and an open heart, wanting to know what to do, where to go, how to deal with it and how to learn from it.

First, I just want to say, just because it feels like God has let you down, doesn’t mean he has. Feelings are not the best thing to go by. Feelings are fickle and everchanging. They are not very reliable.

It often feels as though God has let us down, despite doing what we think is right, walking with him, obeying him, loving him and seeking after him. We do what we think is right and despite our best efforts, we just don’t seem to get the answers we seek and the outcomes we long for.

I want to encourage you that although the way may seem dark and the path hard to follow and full of obstacles that don’t seem to belong there, God is still working. He is still good, and he still keeps his promises.

There have been many times in the past few months that I’ve felt like God has let me down. I was faithful, I was trusting, I was obeying and yet the obstacles were still there. The walls were not being broken down. The blessings were not abounding, and frustration and desperation began to set in.

When the government stepped in, and our business was taken away….

Psalm 118:6 - The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

When I became worried about losing material possessions……………

Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

When my anxiety and fear threatened to overwhelm me……….

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

When my thoughts began to control me………..

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When my patience was wearing thin and waiting was hard…………..

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Are you beginning to see a pattern here? And these verses are barely scratching the surface of the precious promises found in the Word.

At times, we feel as though God is not listening to our cries and he’s turning a deaf ear to our pleas.

We struggle to make sense of the pain and we feel deserted and let down. Abandoned and alone. But God is still at work.

If you’re not dead, then God is not done!

In the sermon I was listening to, there were 4 points made that I felt worth sharing.

What do you do when you feel God has let you down?

1.    HOLD UP – Stop. Take a deep breath. Don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t start doubting God and don’t try to work out the end of the story, when you don’t hold the pen. Remind yourself that it doesn’t end here. God is still working.

2.    SPEAK UP – Take a moment to speak up. Speak to the Lord. Be honest with him about how you feel. Pour your heart out to him and let him hear from your lips, just what it is you are dealing with and how you feel let down. Let the tears flow. He holds them all and your tears won’t scare him away. God gave you emotions and he understands. Open your mouth, speak up and pray to him.

3.    KEEP IT UP – Keep going. Keep trusting. Keep obeying. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You feel let down, but don’t let it cause you to give up on God. Hold onto his promises and remember that he loves you and cares for you more than anyone else in the world. No matter how hard it is to go on, just keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting God to show you the way. And when you’re not sure, step out in faith, expecting there to be something solid there underneath.

4.    LOOK UP – Look up to God. Don’t doubt. Keep looking up. God is up to something good. God promises good to his children. Keep your eyes on God. When everything is crumbling around you, keep your focus on him and he will keep you safe. He will provide. He will protect.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

 

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

HOLD UP.   SPEAK UP.   KEEP IT UP.   LOOK UP.

 

I was so encouraged by these thoughts but also convicted that I needed to work harder at trusting, even when it felt like God had let me down.

 

God does choose to ‘let us down’ at times, but it is for our good. He needs us to go through certain trials to test our faith and work growth in our lives. God knows exactly what we need to go through in order to mold us more into his image.

 

I think in the world we live in today, in the turmoil that surrounds us on a daily basis, there are a lot of people that feel that God has let them down. There’s loss. There’s grief. There’s financial difficulty. There’s uncertainty. And it seems no amount of prayer makes a difference.

 

But God is still working. He is still holding the believer in his protective hand. He knows exactly where you’re at and he knows just how much pressure you can bear.

 

Our job is to stay faithful. To keep on trusting. To keep on walking and waiting on the Lord.

 

Don’t doubt in the dark, what you know in the light!

 

When things are going well and you know without a shadow of a doubt, that God is good and he loves you, remind yourself of this when the lights go out and you’re fumbling in the dark. God is still God, and he hasn’t changed. What you know about him in the light, is still true about him in the dark.

 

Our dark times are used for developing. God allows these times in our lives to develop us, to mature us, to make us more like Him. He wants us to grow and to learn through the trials He brings in our lives. He wants us to draw closer to Him and dig into His Word and hold fast to the promises we find there.

Time spent in the dark need not be wasted time. Time in the dark can be a time of growth and spiritual renewal. Seeds of doubt can be replaced with seeds of confidence.  Confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He has promised. 

So, if you’re feeling let down by God, Stop! Take a few deep breaths, pour you heart out to him, keep trusting and keep your eyes focused on him. He will bring you through.

The Bible tells us that he will walk with us. He will be beside us all the way. No matter how dark it gets, God is there.

Psalm 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Isaiah 43:2 - When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.