Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Some time ago the daughter of some friends of ours—a young woman we love and consider precious, lost her first baby to miscarriage. This was cause for great disappointment for all. We felt their pain and prayed for their faith and peace as this couple tried again for a child.

Disappointments are often a result of  the evil, pain, and hurt that Satan has sown into this earth. Things were perfect until sin showed up and infected all mankind and all things. 1 Corinthians 15:21 (TLB) says, Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did…”  Everyone has suffered to some degree because of sickness, pain, and suffering ever since that moment.  Couple that with the wrong choices we sometimes make and the hurt people and life can bring, and disappointments happen. Setbacks, especially when you don’t see them coming, often become an attack on our confidence, trust, and faith in God and that is always Satan’s agenda in bring disappointment.

God does hear and answer our prayers if they are according to His will. 1 John 5:14-15 NIV says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 

Our prayers our answered when they are aligned with God’s will. If your child ever asks you for a bowl of ice cream 20 minutes before dinner, you’ll know what I mean. Your child doesn’t understand that he/she is not aligned with your will and it’s going to be a no! This is why it’s so important to spend time in the Word of God and come to learn, understand, and know what the will of God is.

Some people go through life and treat God as a genie. God do this and God do that. Other than asking for something whenever they are in need or trouble, they don’t spend much time with God. The majority of prayers are lifted not in faith but in hope and , often shrouded in worry! Worry is the opposite of faith and God says that faith matters as we see in Hebrews 11:6 (NLT).  “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

God cares about every detail of our life—even more than we do!  He wants us to let Him know of our every need we have. Philippians 4:6 reveals this powerful benefit to us saying, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” God also wants us to grow and mature in knowing His will. Asking doesn’t offend God, even when it’s not mature. But He isn’t pleased when we become displeased with Him thinking that He isn’t listening, or doesn’t care, or is too busy for us. He knows that like little children, will ask for the wrong thing at the wrong time, but He also knows we can grow and mature in that area. But if you get offended thinking He’s not real or doesn’t care, it hurts us not Him.

Having said all this, when disappointment comes to your life, the first thing to make sure you don’t do is let your mind go down the wrong path thinking God didn’t answer my prayer. If you have a relationship with Him and you’ve asked in faith, then you need to trust God. As the old saying goes, It’s not over till it’s over. Even when it looks like everything has gone wrong, God has a plan to turn every evil of Satan to the benefit of His children when we hold on in faith. The story of Joseph’s life illustrates that maybe better than any other. (Genesis chapters 37-45)

In Matthew 1:19-20 we read the story of Joseph and Mary. Joseph was greatly disappointed—probably crushed by Mary’s revelation that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around that. He couldn’t believe her and so he figured out a plan. He would quietly divorce her. That was the best his mind could come up with. But he didn’t blame God or shut God out in anger. He kept his heart open and God gave Him a better plan—His will! We read in, Matthew 1:19-20 NIV “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” 

God took Joseph past his disappointment into His will for their lives. Joseph would not have heard this if he had let his disappointment become anger our doubt in God. He kept his heart right toward God and God turned his disappointment into blessing. God will do that for us if we stay close to Him, keep praying, and in faith trust Him! Learn to conquer your disappointments with faith and know that if you stay in that place, God will take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good! He’ll help you move past your disappointments and instead into God’s blessings!

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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