Jesus Style Leadership 3 - Crop & FaithSampel

Faith and Disappointment

Leadership Lesson

Not all our hopes and dreams will be achieved in our lifetime.

Read Hebrews 11:35b–40.

Comment

While faith often results in miracles and powerful answers to prayer, sometimes it doesn’t. No matter how much we pray or believe, sometimes the work of God that we are hoping for just doesn’t happen. I don’t know why “some escaped the edge of the sword” (11:34) and others “were sawed in two” (11:37), but blessings and disappointments occur together throughout Scripture. Some suffer, and others are saved. Some are healed, and others live in pain. This passage is a good reminder that ultimately our faith is not in fruitful ministries, growing institutions, incredible miracles, or personal health, but in a God who promises that He will never leave us. The heroes of faith described in this passage had such faith in God that the outward disappointment, the painful persecution, the dreadful suffering, and the unfulfilled promises never touched their confidence in and intimacy with God. This wasn’t easy, but it came down to faith. These heroes believed God was ultimately in control. And they trusted him. They knew that God would be true to His promises, whether that was on earth or ultimately in heaven. Their suffering couldn’t dampen or destroy their faith.

Prayer

I know that sometimes my faith will be needed for extraordinary miracles, but at other times I will need faith just to hold on to your presence and hope in the middle of disappointment. Faith in You will be my support through suffering, rejection, and injustice. May I continue to hold tight to You and Your promises, Lord, whatever the circumstances. I will join You, Jesus, in both experiencing the power of your resurrection and sharing in the fellowship of your sufferings (Phil. 3:10).

Personal Reflection

Think of a dream that you have at the moment. It could be something relatively mundane, like passing an exam, or something very significant, like finding the right marriage partner or leading a family member to Jesus. What will you do if this dream is not fulfilled, no matter how much you pray?