Disappointment
August 02|Encounters with Jesus Series
August 02|Encounters with Jesus Series
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” John 20:11-13
Read: John 20:1-18
Listen: John 20
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Mary probably felt confused, heartbroken and deeply disappointed like the rest of the disciples when she visited Jesus’s tomb. After all, she watched Jesus die. She put her hope in a man that was dead, and so the story was over. With dashed hopes and in that spot of disappointment and despair—Jesus shows up. His death brought disappointment, but his resurrection brought hope and healing. She realizes the story is not over because he is alive.
We experience pain, grief and disappointment too. Life just doesn’t go as we think it should, and we are tempted to lose hope and stop trusting in God. Maybe it’s a health crisis that doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Or things are not going financially how we planned. Perhaps we’re watching someone we love struggle. Whatever disappointment we face, we can bring it to our God and know that because Jesus is alive—it’s not over. We can trust Jesus with our grief and pain because he alone can bring healing and restoration.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Pray a prayer of Lament to God over the areas of disappointment you are experiencing. In a prayer of Lament, we express our struggles and pain to God AND affirm our trust in him. If this is a new practice for you, consider reading Psalm 13. Psalm 13 is a great example to follow of a lament psalm.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
August is PRAYER. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.