When Disappointment makes it hard to trust again

Dear beautiful,

Sometimes the hardest part of faith is trusting God after something you prayed for did not happen. You prayed, you believed, you waited, you may have even received confirmation in your heart that things were going to change. But the answer did not come the way you expected. The door remained closed. The relationship ended. The opportunity passed. The healing took longer than you thought. The breakthrough you had been believing for seemed to move further away.

And somewhere along the way, disappointment entered your heart.

Maybe you still love God. Maybe you still pray. Maybe you still believe in His Word. But if you are honest, trusting Him the way you once did has become harder.

I want you to know something today: God is not intimidated by your disappointment. You don't have to pretend that something didn't hurt just because you are a woman of faith.

Faith does not mean you never ask questions. Faith does not mean you never cry. Faith does not mean you understand why something happened or why it didn't happen.

Sometimes faith looks like bringing your disappointment honestly before God and saying, “Lord, I don't understand this. This hurt me. I thought You would do something different. But I don't want this disappointment to take me away from You."

That is still faith!

There are things in life that can change the way we see tomorrow. When you have experienced enough disappointment, you may begin protecting your heart from hope. You stop expecting too much because it feels safer to expect nothing. You tell yourself, If I don't believe for it, I won't be disappointed when it doesn't happen.

But sometimes, without realizing it, we are not only protecting ourselves from disappointment, we are also closing ourselves off from trusting God again.

I have learned that disappointment and faith can exist in the same heart.

You can be disappointed and still believe. You can be tired and still pray. You can have questions and still worship. You can say, “God, I don't understand,” and still say, but I trust You.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.”

When Disappointment makes it hard to trust again! God does not move away from us because our hearts are hurting. He draws near. Maybe your faith has not disappeared. Maybe it is simply wounded, and wounded faith does not need condemnation. It needs room to heal.

Perhaps you have been carrying an unanswered prayer for so long that you stopped talking to God about it or there is a loss you have never really processed or perhaps you are still trying to understand why something you believed would happen never did.

Today, I want you to bring that disappointment back to God. Not with perfect words. Not with a perfect attitude.

Just bring it.

Tell Him what hurt. Tell Him what you expected. Tell Him what you don't understand. Then ask Him for something simple: “Lord, help me trust You again.”

You don't have to force yourself into certainty overnight. Trust can be rebuilt one conversation with God at a time, one prayer at a time, one surrendered expectation at a time.

Your disappointment may have changed your expectations, but it does not have to destroy your trust in God.

There is still more faith in you.

It may not look the way it once did. Perhaps it is quieter now, more honest. Perhaps it has been tested by things you never expected to face. But it is still there.

And God can breathe fresh hope into the places where disappointment has made you afraid to believe again.

Your reflection for today: What is one disappointment you have been carrying? Give it to God. Tell Him honestly how it made you feel, and then ask Him to help you trust Him again. You don't have to understand everything to trust Him.

Sometimes faith simply says, God, I don't understand what You allowed, but I still believe You are good. Join me for BAM RetreatHer, October 8–10 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and create space to rest, renew, rebuild, and rise. Learn more at www.tonyaharden.com

With love,

Your sister in Christ love and prosperity,

Tonya Harden

Author | Life Coach | Purpose Mentor