Frustration

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?“ Judges 6:12-13

“You will never know how much your programs on frustration meant to me,” wrote a missionary who was held captive by the FARC guerillas in a Colombian jungle. He had listened to Guidelines by shortwave radio. His frustration was akin to that experienced by Joseph. This Old Testament character who had been unjustly thrown into prison prayed for release, yet nothing seemed to happen.

Frustration is the result of not getting what you want and facing a situation you wish didn’t exist, usually something you cannot change.

You are starting a new company, and you’ve been promised venture capital that will get your business rolling. You’re down to your last month’s operating expenses when you get a phone call saying there will be no money. The investor is being investigated by bank examiners who have frozen his assets. That’s frustrating.

You’ve taken your car into the shop three times this month. “We’ve got it this time,” the shop foreman told you with a big smile, yet the next morning, you turn the key and nothing happens. That’s frustrating.

“I’ll never take a drink again,” your husband tells you, but when he comes home, his breath tells you another story. That’s frustrating.

How do you cope with frustrations? Remember that nothing comes as a surprise to God. The frustration that upset your schedule and sent your blood pressure up didn’t take Him by surprise. He knew about everything that would happen to you long before you were born. God cares about your life and what happens to you. Jesus Christ told His followers: “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world,” and He has never retracted that promise.