What to Do with Our Disappointments - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - September 24

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Updated Crosswalk Couples Devotional Header

What to Do with Our Disappointments
By: Anne Peterson

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. - Psalm 84:11

I remember waiting and waiting but my ride never came. There I was all dressed up, but no one came to take me to my destination. I was so excited to be the “Spiritual Life Chairperson” of PWOC -- The Protestant Women of the Chapel. It was an honor to be sure. And I was going to be inducted with a candlelight service. But someone forgot to pick me up.

I struggled; surely God wanted me there, right? Surely it was a good thing. But sometimes disappointing things happen. And my ride forgot to pick me up. (There were no buses, we were living in Germany at the time).

I’ll be honest with you—that disappointment was a hard pill to swallow. But I knew it would not be the only time I was disappointed. And I was certainly right about that.

I share that time with you because in our relationships, there will be times of disappointment. But a long time ago, I saw the quote, “Disappointments, HIS appointments,” and I never forgot it.

And while sometimes it is due to human error, God still allows things in our lives that are hard to understand, hard to accept. And yet, he tells us in Romans 8:28 that he will work all things together for good. And we know that God doesn’t lie - which he tells us in Numbers 23:19, so we can trust him.

So how can we deal with our disappointments? And what if it is our partner who disappoints us?

If we believe that God is sovereign, that means that he knows everything. He is Almighty God. And so, we learn how to trust him on a daily basis.

Psalm 84:11 inspirational image

Knowing that God does not withhold something good from those whose walk is blameless is a great thing to hold onto. Because those of us who have accepted Jesus’ death as payment for our sins are seen by God as being blameless. So that means when we don’t receive something we had hoped for, maybe even prayed for, we can rest in the fact it probably wasn’t good for us. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing, or maybe it wasn’t the right time. Either way, since God knows all about our lives, he knows what is for our ultimate good.

Being married, I can remind my husband when he gets disappointed. Remind him of God’s sovereignty and how much God loves us. And I can listen to his disappointment and just be there for him.

If our spouse is the one who is disappointing us, then we can remember Psalm 146:3, which tells us we should not put our trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. The thing is, people will disappoint us. Just as we will disappoint others.

I remember quoting the old song, Jesus Never Fails, with the lyrics written by A.A. Luther.

Earthly friends may prove untrue
doubts and fears assail
one still loves and cares for you
Jesus never fails. 

Jesus never fails
Jesus never fails
heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.

Luther wrote this song when his son was ill and he was unable to get to him. Sitting at the piano the song came to him. And once he was finished with the song, he received word that his son had recovered.

People will let us down. Our spouses will let us down. When they do we can remember we are all capable of disappointing others. And we can extend grace to them, as we’d like to be treated. Luke 6:31.

God is more interested in working on our characters than he is in the circumstances we face. And Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6 that God will finish the work he started in us when we accepted Jesus as Savior. Maybe if we saw our disappointments as appointments from God we might be more open. After all, no one loves us, like God does.


Anne Peterson and her husband, Michael have been married for 43 years. Anne is a poet, speaker, published author of 16 books, including her latest book, Always There:Finding God's Comfort Through Loss. Anne has also written another memoir, Broken: A Story of Abuse, Survival and Hope, as well as other books you can check out here. Sign up for anne’s newsletter at www.annepeterson.com and receive a free eBook by clicking the tab. Or connect with her on Facebook.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/elenaleonova

Anne Peterson is a poet, speaker, and published author of 16 books. Her most recent book is Always There: Finding God's Comfort through Loss. Anne has published 42 Bible Studies and numerous articles with christianbiblestudies.com. She has been a regular contributor to Crosswalk for seven years. Visit Anne’s website at annepeterson.com and sign up for a free eBook or visit her Facebook page. You can also subscribe to Anne’s YouTube channel where you can watch her recite her poems and share her heart.

Related Resource: 3 Simple Ways to Feed Your Spouse More Praise

How often do you intentionally stop to praise your spouse? To recognize and affirm their character or actions? Many of us probably cringe at answering these questions because we know we could do better! If you struggle to feed your spouse praise regularly, this episode is for you. Listen in as we share some practical steps we all can take to criticize less and affirm and build up our spouse more. If this episode helps your marriage, be sure to subscribe to Team Us on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode.

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links


September 26 - Phoenix, AZ
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts


November 2 - Detroit, MI
Zion Christian Church in Troy


October 6 - Los Angeles, CA
Pasadena Convention Center


November 5 - San Antonio, TX
Norris Centers – The Grand Red Oak Ballroom


October 8 - Sacramento, CA
William Jessup University


November 7 - Tampa, FL
The Palladium at St. Pete College


October 22 - Minneapolis, MN
Crowne Plaza AiRE


November 15 - San Francisco, CA
Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley


October 23 - Philadelphia, PA
Green Valley Country Club


November 16 - Denver, CO
CU South Denver - Formerly Wildlife Experience


November 2 - Chicago, IL
Chicago Westin Northwest in Itasca


November 21 - Cleveland, OH
Holiday Inn Rockside in Independence



Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

Sponsored by:

What to Do with Our Disappointments - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - September 24

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Updated Crosswalk Couples Devotional Header

What to Do with Our Disappointments
By: Anne Peterson

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. - Psalm 84:11

I remember waiting and waiting but my ride never came. There I was all dressed up, but no one came to take me to my destination. I was so excited to be the “Spiritual Life Chairperson” of PWOC -- The Protestant Women of the Chapel. It was an honor to be sure. And I was going to be inducted with a candlelight service. But someone forgot to pick me up.

I struggled; surely God wanted me there, right? Surely it was a good thing. But sometimes disappointing things happen. And my ride forgot to pick me up. (There were no buses, we were living in Germany at the time).

I’ll be honest with you—that disappointment was a hard pill to swallow. But I knew it would not be the only time I was disappointed. And I was certainly right about that.

I share that time with you because in our relationships, there will be times of disappointment. But a long time ago, I saw the quote, “Disappointments, HIS appointments,” and I never forgot it.

And while sometimes it is due to human error, God still allows things in our lives that are hard to understand, hard to accept. And yet, he tells us in Romans 8:28 that he will work all things together for good. And we know that God doesn’t lie - which he tells us in Numbers 23:19, so we can trust him.

So how can we deal with our disappointments? And what if it is our partner who disappoints us?

If we believe that God is sovereign, that means that he knows everything. He is Almighty God. And so, we learn how to trust him on a daily basis.

Psalm 84:11 inspirational image

Knowing that God does not withhold something good from those whose walk is blameless is a great thing to hold onto. Because those of us who have accepted Jesus’ death as payment for our sins are seen by God as being blameless. So that means when we don’t receive something we had hoped for, maybe even prayed for, we can rest in the fact it probably wasn’t good for us. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing, or maybe it wasn’t the right time. Either way, since God knows all about our lives, he knows what is for our ultimate good.

Being married, I can remind my husband when he gets disappointed. Remind him of God’s sovereignty and how much God loves us. And I can listen to his disappointment and just be there for him.

If our spouse is the one who is disappointing us, then we can remember Psalm 146:3, which tells us we should not put our trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. The thing is, people will disappoint us. Just as we will disappoint others.

I remember quoting the old song, Jesus Never Fails, with the lyrics written by A.A. Luther.

Earthly friends may prove untrue
doubts and fears assail
one still loves and cares for you
Jesus never fails. 

Jesus never fails
Jesus never fails
heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.

Luther wrote this song when his son was ill and he was unable to get to him. Sitting at the piano the song came to him. And once he was finished with the song, he received word that his son had recovered.

People will let us down. Our spouses will let us down. When they do we can remember we are all capable of disappointing others. And we can extend grace to them, as we’d like to be treated. Luke 6:31.

God is more interested in working on our characters than he is in the circumstances we face. And Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6 that God will finish the work he started in us when we accepted Jesus as Savior. Maybe if we saw our disappointments as appointments from God we might be more open. After all, no one loves us, like God does.


Anne Peterson and her husband, Michael have been married for 43 years. Anne is a poet, speaker, published author of 16 books, including her latest book, Always There:Finding God's Comfort Through Loss. Anne has also written another memoir, Broken: A Story of Abuse, Survival and Hope, as well as other books you can check out here. Sign up for anne’s newsletter at www.annepeterson.com and receive a free eBook by clicking the tab. Or connect with her on Facebook.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/elenaleonova

Anne Peterson is a poet, speaker, and published author of 16 books. Her most recent book is Always There: Finding God's Comfort through Loss. Anne has published 42 Bible Studies and numerous articles with christianbiblestudies.com. She has been a regular contributor to Crosswalk for seven years. Visit Anne’s website at annepeterson.com and sign up for a free eBook or visit her Facebook page. You can also subscribe to Anne’s YouTube channel where you can watch her recite her poems and share her heart.

Related Resource: 3 Simple Ways to Feed Your Spouse More Praise

How often do you intentionally stop to praise your spouse? To recognize and affirm their character or actions? Many of us probably cringe at answering these questions because we know we could do better! If you struggle to feed your spouse praise regularly, this episode is for you. Listen in as we share some practical steps we all can take to criticize less and affirm and build up our spouse more. If this episode helps your marriage, be sure to subscribe to Team Us on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode.

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

On Air & Up Next

See the Full Program Guide