Maneuvers - No. 37
I Have Good
Things for You
If there’s one thing that every single person on this earth has experienced… it’s disappointment.
We all have expectations of how we wanted life to go. And sometimes—many times—things don’t go that way. Dashed dreams, heartbreaking losses, and unexpected failures leave us feeling disillusioned with life, wondering, How could this happen? How could life be so cruel?
Have you ever felt that way, friend?
We (Jennifer and Justin) certainly have. Because we all live in a fallen world filled with sin and suffering, disappointments are a very real part of life.
Over time, if we let them, those disappointments chip away at our enthusiasm and joy, our delight in life and the good things God has given us. Soon, we come to expect disappointment. And eventually, it’s all we see and feel. We can’t even recognize the good things anymore, or if we do, we don’t find joy in them. In this stage, disappointment becomes as real and natural to us as breathing.
Is that where you find yourself today, friend?
We get it. And what if there is an alternative—a way to find our joy again?
God gave us this life to enjoy with him. He loves to lavish us with good gifts, to surprise us with blessings we weren’t even expecting.
So how do we enjoy those gifts from our heavenly Father? How do we find faith to expect them? And how do we trust Jesus enough to believe that what he has for us is good? Holy Spirit has answers for us today. He has truth, love, and compassion to share in this week’s message. Let’s join in listening…
01.
The Message
“I feel your resignation, the heaviness. I feel your lack of hope—that good can come, that life holds any promise, any joy. I feel your sadness. I feel your doubt—and yet you deny it, push it down, try meagerly to keep going, one foot in front of the other, to get through another day.
“The truth is that you are here because I delight in you. You are here, on this earth, because I love you. You are here because I have good plans for you—even here, even now. My good plans do not have an expiration date. They are never limited by what you see and hear and know. They are in my control; they are my dreams for you. But it is up to you to experience them—to decide whether you want to step into these dreams or not.
“My dear one, let there be no despair in you. My dear one, do not let your heart be heavy. Lift up your head. This world can only provide for you so much, for it is limited—limited in stores of joy and contentment, peace and security. And it can never provide what you really need, the lasting love that your heart needs now.
“Where are you looking for help? Have you stopped? Where are you looking for hope? Have you stopped? Where are you looking for love? Have you stopped? Don’t stop expecting good things to come. Don’t stop believing joy and goodness is for you, that it can be around every corner. Just because your dreams have been dashed by this world does not mean that I do not give you good things. Just because life has been hard—filled with struggle and suffering—does not mean I do not come through for you. I do.
“I am the giver of good gifts to my children. I am the rescuer, the redeemer of all that has been lost, all that has been stolen. I provide for you all of these things. I do not leave you, and I want you to have all of the good gifts I have planned for you. I do not want you to miss out on a thing.
“So come, my child. Come to me. Rest your head on my shoulder. Let me carry your burdens. Look to me for wisdom and healing. Believe in my love for you: believe I am love; believe you are loved. All hope begins with love, and my heart is full for you.
“Do not be afraid to trust in me. I am for you. I am worth the risk of you reaching out your hands and grabbing hold of me with all that you have. Give everything to me—all of you—and you will not be disappointed. My love does not disappoint. Try me. Take a risk. Give me your all. It is worth it. You are worth it.”
02.
Listen
Pause over each of these words from this week’s message: Believe. Good gifts. Risk. Hope. How does your heart respond to each of these phrases? What other words resonated with your heart?
How do you want to respond to God? Let’s take some time to do that right now.
03.
Think
“Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around” (Proverbs 13:12, MSG).
1. What disappointments have left you with a feeling of resignation, perhaps even hopelessness?
2. In this message, Holy Spirit said he wants us to believe for good things again. How can you expect and look for God’s gifts in your life, including within those disappointing situations you described in the last question?
3. Write down three to five gifts God has given you recently. They can be physical, emotional, spiritual—his blessings come in many forms. Now, let’s write out a short prayer, thanking him for each of those gifts as well as the ones he will give in the future.
04.
Trust
If we let it, disappointment can cover us like a heavy shroud. It can dictate how we view the world, interact with others, and even worship God. If we want to enjoy a deeper, life-giving relationship with Jesus, we have to be honest about our disappointments—and surrender them.
Let’s look at the root of disappointment today. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to be disappointed means to be “defeated in expectation or hope.”
So when we’re disappointed, it’s because something didn’t meet our expectations. Or, said another way, something defeated our hope—snuffed it out without a fair fight.
Thankfully, we don’t serve a God who gives us a hope that’s easily defeated. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us:
“We also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3-5, NASB, emphasis added).
Hope that comes from the temporary things of this world may let us down. But hope that we place firmly in Jesus—even if our hands are shaking while we do it—does not disappoint. Can we say that again? It does not disappoint. Eventually, we will see the good we’re waiting for.
So where is our hope today? What expectations have we set up for our lives and our loved ones? What does our joy hinge on? And how is that affecting our ability to recognize and expect God’s good gifts?
Let’s not allow these questions to remain rhetorical. We encourage you to write down your honest, heartfelt answers in your journal.
In this moment of honesty with God, can we allow Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts? Let’s be soft toward him right now, willing to hear what he has to say—words of life and correction, healing and kindness.
And now, let’s respond to him in prayer…
05.
Pray
Jesus, you are so good. Your gifts are good. Your plans are good—even the plans that I don’t understand.
Wherever my heart has become resigned to disappointment, heal me. Wherever I’ve become apathetic in my relationship with you, heal me. Wherever I’ve allowed sin into my life because I was disappointed, forgive me and heal me.
I love you, Lord, and I want to enjoy this life with you. Not just here and there—but in everything you have for me. Open my eyes to see the good things you’ve already given me and give me faith to expect the good things that are yet to come. I know they’re coming.
I adore you, Jesus. I want you to have all the glory and honor and praise.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
