When we experience disappointment and loss, we find ourselves in a uniquely vulnerable place. Our hearts have, in a sense, been ripped open and as a result are exposed to all kinds of dark influences.
In these moments we are tempted to allow sorrow to overcome us.
Experiencing sorrow is a normal response in the face of disappointment, but when sorrow is allowed to overcome us, we tend to go down a route which will eventually lead to a state of unbelief and apathy. Areas of our heart become closed off and unresponsive to the promptings and Word of God. We lose hope and with it, our joy and strength and ability to dream.
In John 14-17 the disciples of Jesus experienced such a sense of disappointment when Jesus sat them down in the upper room and explained that He was going away and that they would experience intense persecution in his name.
This came as a shock since their expectation of the Messiah was that He would revolt against the Roman army and overthrow their oppressors, liberating them from the injustices they have suffered for so long. Multiple times throughout this discourse, Jesus encourages them not to let their hearts be troubled.
He repeatedly says this because He knew that there was a raging battle on for their hearts.
Unfortunately, in Luke 22:45-46, in the garden of Gethsemane we see that the disciples lost the battle for their hearts. Sorrow overcame them and they fell asleep.
My personal observation is that we as believers have allowed disappointments to cloud our perception of God and the hope and power that is available in Him to us in this fallen world. Our actions and the language we use demonstrates that we no longer believe that the good news is the power unto salvation or that the light cannot be overcome by the darkness.
We seem to be holding out, surviving, hoping that Jesus will return and save us, sooner rather than later. We withdraw in our attempts to self-preserve and self-protect.
Based on Ephesians 5:25-27, I believe He will return for a bride of Jesus who is vibrant and alive by his Spirit, fearless in the midst of persecution and trials, impacting the world around her with the hope she found in the One who is hope. A Bride who testifies to the saving and resurrection power of Christ. A bride, who like her groom, Jesus, seeks and saves the lost. I believe the Spirit of God is able and wants to empower, refine, and equip believers for His glory.
Fortunately, the story of the disciples does not end with their state of sorrow and slumber.
In John 20:19-20 Jesus walked through the walls the disciples had erected in an attempt to self-preserve and self-protect, and He presents Himself to them as the resurrected One. Their hearts responded in joy when they saw Him. By his instruction, they waited and were filled with the Spirit of God and became mighty witnesses who now led others from spiritual slumber to mighty awakening.
Maybe you took a step in faith and risked, and suffered loss as a result. Maybe you have been praying with no effect. If you have experienced disappointment or loss and find yourself in a state of slumber, then I believe Jesus is walking through your walls. I believe He is urging you to turn to Him, and allow Him to shepherd you through these areas of disappointment and hurt.
He is so willing to do it. He is the Good Shepherd. Let us not deny the disappointment or try to bury or minimise it. It will fester and grow to bear fruits of mistrust, passivity, apathy, resentment, unbelief, and so on. Open up to Him so that He can bring healing to these places. Let us choose community instead of isolation.
As stated in Ephesians 5:14: “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
Let us arise and hope again.
- Romien Joubert is of the Lighuis Jesus-bediening.
