Frustration By Design

Have you ever been frustrated that you’re not seeing “the promises of God” in your life? You’ve been following after Him with all your heart, but you just don’t see the evidence of it in the things surrounding your life. No matter what you do you feel more like a survivor than a conqueror? Take heart because the frustration you feel is by God’s design.

Romans 8:18-21 says the creation (us) has been subjected to this frustration in order to be free from bondage so that His glory may be revealed in us. Anytime we are frustrated it is because things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to or thought that they would. We base our expectation on what we see and understand, so when something doesn’t work out like we thought it would we become frustrated because we don’t understand it. It’s that type of bondage or dependence on our own understanding that God wants to free us from. That’s why He designs the frustration for our benefit so we come to a point where we say, “God, I just don’t understand.” That’s why He says in Proverbs 3:5 to not trust in your own understanding, but to trust in Him with all your heart.

If we could get by and get through based on our own understanding, where would our faith be? Faith is not believing in what you see and understand. Faith is believing in what you don’t see and can’t understand. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it’s impossible to please God. Times of frustration bring us to the point where we have to throw our hands up and say, “I just don’t get it, God.” Here is where our faith takes hold. We must be willing to say, “I don’t get it, but I trust you, Lord.” When we can learn to trust in the Lord, even when we don’t understand what’s happening around us, then His glory can be revealed through us.

If you are frustrated right now because you have followed the Lord, yet you don’t see the promised results in your life, rejoice! The frustration you feel may be the Lord’s way of telling you to let go of your own understanding and trust in Him with all your heart. Do that and then wait for His glory to be revealed through you.