What to Do When It Feels Like God is Letting You Down
Have you lost your faith while waiting for the promise?
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
John 12:12-13
Today is Psalm Sunday, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praises of the Jewish people. They shouted “Hosanna”, which translates Savior or deliver. The people were filled with praise because they believed Jesus was the Savior they’d been waiting for; the one who would provide salvation and freedom from Roman oppression. They were half right, Jesus came to save and set free but from spiritual bondage instead of physical - from sin, death, and the grave.
A mere five days later, the religious leaders who were plotting against Jesus were able to turn the crowd against Him. Many of the same people who were shouting, “Hosanna!” were now shouting, “Crucify Him!”. How did they get there? Somewhere in the middle, their minds changed because their faith was rooted in a preconceived outcome instead of the power and authority of God. When Jesus didn’t deliver them as they expected, they stopped trusting in Him.
The Holy Spirit showed me it’s the same for believers today. At one point we’re strong in our faith, believing God will do everything He’s promised. However, somewhere in the middle, we lose faith. When our expectations aren’t met in the way we envisioned we think they won’t be met at all. We begin to doubt God and (sometimes) give up on doing things His way altogether. Isaiah 55:9 reminds us of this truth:
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God’s ways have never been and will never be like ours, but that doesn’t mean they are ineffective. As you wait on God, have you allowed someone or something besides God to influence what you believe, just as the religious leaders influenced the crowds? Who’s wisdom or opinions are you valuing above God and His Word? What’s happened to make you believe God’s not for you?
As we enter Holy Week I encourage you to reflect on how you are trusting God in the middle; how you’re keeping faith while you wait for Him to bring the promise to pass.
Jesus fulfilled his earthly mission - He took on the sin of humanity and died as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. On the third day, he rose from the grave, defeating sin, death, and the grave. He was faithful to bring the salvation God promised, it just looked different than they expected.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
This week, from Psalm Sunday to Easter, is known as Holy Week. It's a time to focus even more on Christ, who He is, and what He did on for you on the cross. I encourage you to ask God and yourself, “How am I trusting God while I wait?”. Have you allowed outside influences to deteriorate your faith? Have you believed that God let you down because things didn't play out the way you thought they would? Is your faith contingent on God fulfilling your will and desires?
There was a time in my life when I would have answered yes to all of the questions above, but now I wouldn’t. Back then my hope was in the miracle, the end result, the blessing, instead of solely in Christ. I can tell you from experience - God is good and He is ALWAYS faithful. Yes, the wait can be painful but it’s not punishment. He’s not forsaking you when He answers “No.” or “Not yet.”. I’ve found that He tends to work in the most unlikely ways so that He gets the glory. The waiting is when we are refined and strengthen our faith. It’s what makes our hope firm and our testimony beautiful.
God sees the end from the beginning and knows when to give us what we need versus what we want. He loves you too much to give you anything less than His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Jesus didn’t drop the ball when it was time to save humanity and he won't drop it in your life. So often, WE are our own greatest obstacle when it comes to experiencing the faithfulness of God. Seek Him, surrender, and trust His plan.
