All of us have experienced disappointment in our lives – it’s part of the price we pay for living in a fallen world.  Yet, it is still painful and frustrating.  This week I have faced a major disappointment and I’ve been pondering, “How could this have been avoided?”  – but I’m not coming up with any answers.  So where do I go when I encounter a major disappointment.  The Psalms have been a great comfort to me,

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.  (Psalm 16:1)

Do you have a refuge during times of disappointment?  All of us need a refuge when we’re feeling lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon wheel rut.  The Psalmist continued on,

I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  (Psalm 16:8)

I know that God is with me, I am not alone, and that nothing happens to me unless He allows it.  I can rest in God because He is directing my steps.  The disappointment I’m experiencing will probably be with me for a while, but I also take comfort that He is with me.  David ends this Psalm with a confident hope that God is directing him and his life is filled with joy and peace – even in the midst of a great disappointment.

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.  (Psalm 16:11)

God does not always shield us from the storms of life, but He does support us during the storms we encounter.  May God be your refuge when you face disappointment.

Dr. Rick Higgins
Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University