Two men were in a hospital room with only one window to the outside world. Both men were very sick, but the man closest to the window took time each day to describe the activity he could see outside. A park with a pond. Lovers walking arm in arm. Children playing. The men did his best to relay the picture he observed. The man away from the window looked forward to hearing what the man closest to the window could see. But then he began to feel cheated. He thought that he deserved his own opportunity to see outside. Requests for changing positions were denied and so he became sullen. One night the man by the window began to gasp for air. He could not call out nor could he find the call button for the nurse. The second man could have called out or rang, but did not. The man by the window died. After an appropriate time, the man away from the window was moved to the spot he desired. When he looked out the window it faced a blank wall. What a let-down. What a way to keep on living. Disappointment.

I received three e-mails of the same story recently. Seems that one fellow always looked on the brighter side of life. No matter what time of day he was greeted, he was always UPBEAT! One time he fell almost sixty feet from a tower and almost died. He knew he could die, never seeing his family again. The doctors did not give him much hope. They were ready for surgery and one asked if he was allergic to anything. "Yes." Everyone stopped to hear him. "What?" "Gravity! Operate on me as a living man!" Relating his attitude to a friend, he said that we all have choices in life. Circumstances come our way. We cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we will respond to those things that comes our way. Especially set-backs and failures in life.

Disappointment defined is discouragement caused by these failed goals or dreams. It usually follows on the heels of failure. We did not achieve what we hoped we could. They can be little or big. Suffer enough of them in life and we find it hard to recover. Life seems to be against that kind of person. Their song: "If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all..." ("Hee-Haw")

We all have suffered disappointments in life. They began when we were infants. They continue until we die. We cannot have everything we ask for. A rich couple, stranded on a country road, did not want to spend the night in their car, so they knocked on the door of farm house nearby. The farmer agreed to put them up for the night, but not in the house, but in the barn. Clean but simple. "If you need anything, I’ll come and explain to you how you can get along without it."

We have a choice. For some of us, we might only identify with the complaint of the Psalm writer: "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?" Too many people remain there. Disappointed with themselves, with others, and especially God. We can choose to embrace God, like the Psalm writer did: "Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God." (43.5) A poem by Edith Lilian Young seemed to capture what happens to us with God.

Disappointment - His appointment,

Change one letter, then I see

that the thwarting of my purpose

Is God’s better choice for me.

His appointment must be blessing,

Tho’ it may come in disguise,

For the end from the beginning

Open to His wisdom lies. (Edith Lillian Young)

Each disappointment in life opens us to an appointment with God. Build your life on Christ, and watch each disappointment become His appointment with you. Paul helps us in these verses.

Paul surprises. "What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel..." The guard assigned to Paul (Praetorian) got an earful of the gospel. You can be sure that the changing of the guards brought about the EXchange of the message of Jesus Christ. The Word was getting out, even if Paul was not! His time in the jail gave others CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD to speak the word of God without fear!! He included his enemies. As long as Christ was proclaimed, Paul rejoiced. He meant it. In his life, or by his death, Christ was all that mattered. He encouraged his friends in Philippi to STAND FIRM ... STRIVING TOGETHER for Christ. Dis-appointment? His appointment!.

I want to share two phrases that can be like two steps to help you, or someone you know, turn any DISAPPOINTMENT to His Appointment with you. The first step: "... confident in the Lord..(Trusting)" (v 14). The second step, "..stand firm..striving together...." (v 27)

WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW THE WAY, STAY CLOSE TO THE ONE WHO DOES! CONFIDENT (TRUSTING) IN THE LORD. Our CONTENTMENT IN LIFE must be in Christ, not on the things going on in our lives.

What are your goals in life? A bigger house, car, job, family or vacation? Any disappointments along the way? Have you missed something OR SOMEONE? If you do not have a god greater than you, you will always be disappointed in your life, especially with God. But if God centers Himself in your life, you can go through anything, even if you do not know the way!

Queen Esther learned that. Though a Jewess, she was queen of Babylon at one time during their captivity. Through treachery the king agreed to have all the Jews in the land killed. Her uncle Mordecai knew of the plot. He told Queen Esther to approach the king and ask for help. She reported that she had not even been able to see the king for thirty days. (Sounds like a tough marriage)! To approach him without permission meant death. But her uncle warned her. "Don’t think that because you are in the palace you can escape death. If you remain silent, help will come from some place else, but you will die." Then he encouraged her, "Perhaps you attained royalty for such a time as this." She did not know the way, but trusted God who did know the way! The people of God were spared!

A Swedish fisherman with his two sons went on their daily fishing run. As usual, the mother went down to see them off and to wish them well. By mid-afternoon a storm had come upon the three fisherman, and by early evening they were not sure they could make it home safely. Even the light in the lighthouse had gone out. In the meantime, the home of the fisherman caught fire. It totally destroyed everything. Nothing was left but the clothes on their backs. She waited by the dock to tell her men the bad news.

"Karl, our house and everything in it were destroyed. We have nothing now!" But Karl seemed unmoved. She repeated her story. "Didn’t you hear me?" "Yes, I heard you. But a few hours ago I did not think we were going to make it. The lighthouse light on the cliff was out. For about an hour, I thought we were finished. Then something happened. A dim, yellow glow appeared in the distance. We rowed for all our strength toward that glow. That dim, yellow light was the first sign our house was burning. At the peak of the blaze we could see the whole shoreline. The same heat that destroyed our house created a light which saved our lives."

What are the failures you are experiencing? Could this disappointment be God’s appointment time for you? Think about the areas in your life that might need attention. He has your attention. With His overwhelming love, He offers Himself to guide you through them. Our contentment in life must be based on Christ, not what is going on in our lives. Stay close to Him now, since the way may not be very clear! He is ready to keep His appointment with you!

WHEN YOU STAY CLOSE TO HIM, YOU WILL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED. "STAND FIRM...STRIVING TOGETHER!" (v 27). He overcomes impossible situations! Gideon discovered this! (Judges 6 and 7)

He was ordered to lead an army against the Midianites. 32,000 men showed up to fight with Gideon. "Too many," said the Lord. "Some really do not want to be here. Send them home." The army was soon reduced to only 300. Gideon did not criticize those who turned back. He used those who stayed with him just the way the Lord wanted them. That is something we can learn as a church! Each soldier had only a pitchers containing a lighted torch and a trumpet. At the signal from Gideon, the soldiers smashed their pitchers, then holding their torches in one hand and their trumpets with the other hand, blew loudly. The Midianites turned and destroyed each other!

Multiple stories can be told about governments trying to stamp out the Christian Church. In the country of Estonia, Rev Alexander Krums was told to close his small church and stop preaching. They were only a few in number. He did not, and was arrested. Sent to prison for five years, the authorities thought they were done with the church. When Krums returned to his church it was well over 500. What happened? Elders of the church began praying. Young people of the church began telling their friends about Jesus who died on the cross for them. The older people opened homes, provided food, clothes and shelter for people who lost everything because of becoming Christians. The church came alive! Disappointment - His appointment for all!

That is something to remember when we are encouraged to STAND FIRM IN CHRIST, STRIVING TOGETHER FOR THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

We are about to take in new members into our church. What a joy! What a responsibility! I hope they will see us stand firm in one spirit, striving to build a church that makes a difference in this community! When we face set-backs or failure as a church, and face disappointment, I call on you to welcome God and His appointment with us. Sense Him close to us and showing us the way to live and serve Him!

May we spend our lives opening ourselves to the vision God wants us to see, not just blank walls. I want our labors for the Lord to reflect His love...not our narrow views...but His high view for us! We can keep on - STRIVING TOGETHER to build a life a home or a church for Him.

Next time you face disappointment, see it as His appointment to be with you.... Take two steps.