Luke 8:41-44 NIV // Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Spiritual Disappointment Can Create:
- Confusion through delayed expectations
Mark 5:25-26 NIV // And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
- Apathy through perceived anonymity
Luke 8:42 NIV // As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
- Anger through perceived inconsistence
Luke 8:48-49 NIV // Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
- Disconnection and a loss of hope
Luke 8:49 NIV // … “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
Dealing With Disappointment: Our Way Forward
- Start with the power of God
Philippians 1:6 NRSV // I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
- Remember God’s faithfulness through His character
2 Timothy 2:13 NIV // … “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
- God’s unpredictability creates opportunity for our faith
James 1: 2-4 NIV // Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- Hope in Jesus Christ is found in redemption regardless of circumstance
Hebrews 6:19-20 NRSV // We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
