Come Up From the Let Down a 5-Day Devotional Plan to Cope With Being Let Down by People by Alicia Renee’ RobertsSample

Placing Hope & Expectation in God

Have you grown accustomed to placing your hope and trust in people instead of God? We can find ourselves hurt, broken, confused, and even misguided when we put our faith in people versus putting our complete trust in God.

Many people are unreliable, and some can have great intentions or desires to help but may not be in a position to do so. As a busy single mother, there are times when my calendar is overbooked, and I can’t keep all my commitments. As much as I may want to do all of the things, I can’t be everywhere and have the strength to do it all. Only God is omnipresent and has the capacity and strength to do anything and everything we ask.

You may occasionally run into one of those “hurt people” who “hurt people.” These are people who don’t care much about your feelings, or they prioritize their own feelings and needs over everyone else’s. If you’re connected to people like this, it’s important to cling to God for His comfort and reassurance of hope. Know that He considers our feelings and knows what is best for us.

There are many stories in the Bible where God kept His promises to His people. The process or outcome may have been different from what they anticipated, but ultimately, the vows made came to pass.

Let’s look at the story of Joshua and the Israelites. In Joshua 21: 43-45, we learn that the Lord gave the Israelites the land He’d once promised their ancestors. The interesting point of this story is that Joshua led them through seven years of battles to receive land that had not been taken by the preceding generations. The ancestors had an opportunity to enter and seize it; however, they failed to do so because of unbelief. Not because God let them down.

Joshua believed in God’s promise despite all they endured on the journey and despite the others who failed. The Lord promised to do many things and made good on every one of them. There aren’t too many people you can rely on to that extent, if at all. Joshua’s story serves as a great reminder that God will never leave or forsake us.

Reflection: In what ways do you need to shift your expectations of others and deepen your faith in God? Familiarize yourself with God’s promises and reflect on them often.