Hope Beyond Disappointmentনমুনা

Though He Slay Me, Too

As we look at key people in Scripture who faced, managed, and overcame disappointment, it’s only right that we start with Job—who, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), has become the poster man (because "poster child" seems so disrespectful) for disappointment. If you remember, his story begins as the embodiment of favor—both by God and by man. When it came to good things, you name it, Job had it—riches, a full family, and a sense of purpose. What could go wrong? Unfortunately for him, everything.

If you’ve never read the entire book of Job, and you are in a season of disappointment, I strongly suggest you take the time to do so. One of the first lessons you’ll notice is that disappointment can come quickly, and none of us is exempt from intense seasons of discouragement.

There Job was, one day enjoying a party with his friends and family (see Job 1:1-4), and just days later, mourning the loss of every good thing in his life. In a matter of possibly days, he lost his children, his livestock, his wealth, some friendships, his health, and his sense of security in God.

Despite his tremendous loss, there is one thing that Job says that has become a marker and reminder in my own Christian walk. While venting to his friends in Job 13:15a, after gut-wrenching disappointment and anger with God, Job says, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” This statement is one of both relenting and acknowledgment—“it is what it is”—but it is also a statement of defiance, even in discouragement, I know God’s Integrity remains the same.

As you think and pray about your own circumstances today, I encourage you to create your own faith statement. What says, “It is what it is, but…”? I encourage you to use the story of Job as a practical reminder that even when confusion and anger set in, the Hope that God gives transcends every season of our lives. He has been a Keeper for generations, and it will not end with you.