And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
Jesus,
We come to you with our disappointments, the big and the small. Normal life has been disrupted in ways that cumulatively wear on our souls.
Today, we bring you canceled trips, athletic seasons, performances, and concerts. The things we once looked forward to now erased from our calendars. We grieve altered or lost celebrations—the weddings, the funerals, the birthday parties, the graduations, and more.
We miss being with those we love and, while we are grateful for the mercies of technology, we ache for handshakes, hugs, and close proximity to the people and moments that are important to us.
God, we come to you honestly about the spaces in our lives where we are struggling with disappointment.
(Share specific examples of disappointment you or others you love are facing.)
God, thank you for letting us be honest about the places we hurt. Thank you for prayers of lament in your Word that offer models and space for our own. But thank you that disappointment, disease, and death don’t have the last word.
In a world where we’ve been let down, hope can feel dangerous, like something to avoid because it makes us susceptible to pain. The world might tell us to choose cynicism, but you call us to be people of hope. You tell us that even our suffering creates a chain reaction which produces perseverance, character, and hope that does not disappoint us because of your love that you pour into our hearts. God, when we grieve our disappointments, help us to grieve as people marked by hope.
Jesus, help us surrender every part of our lives to you. With your brother James help us to say, “If the Lord wills, we will do this or that.” God, when we feel disappointed, help us to trust you: the God of all hope, the God of resurrection.
Amen.
Sometimes it is hard to know what to pray when we are disappointed and struggling. Join Dave Cover on his podcast, A Bigger Life, for guided scripture meditation and prayer.
