From Disappointment to Joyful Praise

Do you find yourself in an unexpected situation? Maybe it’s a job you would have never chosen for yourself, an unusual relationship, rejection, or living somewhere that’s far from where you’ve dreamed of living. Whatever the circumstances of your current situation, is it different than your dreams and expectations? Instead of complaining and searching for the way out, begin asking God to show you the purpose for the life you’re currently living. You see, none of it is an accident. God planned your life before you were even born. Sure, there may have been self-inflicted detours along the way, but even those don’t come as a surprise to Him. He can even use our mistakes and create beauty from our ashes as we repent and hand Him the broken pieces.

Your dreams still may be recognized if they come from the throne of God, but regardless, right here, right now, you need to praise Him for the life He’s given you. As you turn your attention from your disappointment to God’s glory, love, power, and might, you can find joy, peace, and fulfillment even in a seemingly dark place.

Wherever you are in your walk with God, there are lives that need to be touched and changed by the Holy Spirit that is within you and that can’t happen as long as you’re preoccupied with your own situation. Stop, praise, listen, and act! Your current circumstances may be temporary, but just like the children of Israel, you don’t want to spend years circling the same mountain because of your murmuring and complaining. There’s a lesson to be learned right where you’re at. Take the experience in, learn from it and be productive for God’s Kingdom! There’s no telling where this curvy path, with all of its twists and turns is actually leading you. Decide today that you are going to be grateful, enjoy the ride and lead as many people to Jesus as possible! Stop looking behind you and begin to look forward with great expectancy! There’s a gift ahead and it’s one that’s greater than any other, greater than your dreams and desires... it’s deeper intimacy with Jesus that can only be found as you lay everything else aside and seek Him with uninhibited passion... no matter what!! Breathe... refocus... He’s all that really matters!

Acts 17:25-27 (ERV) He is the one who gives people life, breath, and everything else they need. He does not need any help from them. He has everything He needs. God began by making one man, and from him he made all the different people who live everywhere in the world. He decided exactly when and where they would live. “God wanted people to look for Him, and perhaps in searching all around for Him, they would find Him. But He is not far from any of us.

Isaiah 61:3 (NLT) To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.

Psalm 139:13-18 (TPT) You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place, carefully, skillfully shaping me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.

1 Corinthians10:13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.