We’ve all been there. The job you thought was yours slips away. The marriage you prayed for falls apart. The dream you nurtured quietly in your heart never seems to take shape. Disappointment is such a universal experience that you almost wonder why it still catches us off guard.

And yet, when it hits, it cuts deep. It leaves us wondering, Where is God in this? Why didn’t He come through the way I hoped?

If you’ve ever whispered those words through tears, take heart: you’re not alone. Scripture is filled with people who knew disappointment intimately. But it’s also filled with the faithfulness of God meeting His children in their lowest moments. Today, let’s walk through how we can bring our disappointments to Him, and how we can find the strength to rise again.

1. Disappointment Is Part of the Faith Journey

Sometimes, when life doesn’t go as planned, we’re quick to blame ourselves. We wonder, Did I miss God’s will? Did I pray wrong? Am I not good enough? I found myself asking these very questions after my divorce.
But disappointment is not foreign to God’s people.

David longed to build a temple for God, but God said no. Moses led faithfully for decades, only to be barred from entering the Promised Land. Paul begged for his thorn in the flesh to be removed, and God responded not with deliverance, but with grace. Even Jesus faced disappointment – His closest friends fell asleep while He prayed in Gethsemane, and the crowds who once adored Him later cried out for His crucifixion.

Their stories remind us: disappointment doesn’t mean we are out of God’s favour. It simply means we are human, living in a broken world, walking a road where even the most faithful saints have stumbled.

2. Be Honest With God

One of the most healing steps we can take is to name our disappointment before God. Too often we plaster on a smile, convincing ourselves that “good Christians” shouldn’t feel let down. But denial isn’t faith; it’s avoidance.

The psalmists show us a better way. “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Psalm 13:1 ESV. Or this cry: “My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42:3 ESV).
God isn’t threatened by our honesty. In fact, He invites it. When we pour out our disappointment to Him – our confusion, our grief, even our anger – we open the door for His comfort to enter.

Maybe today you need to write your own psalm. Tell God exactly what you hoped for, how it hurts to let it go, and where you feel lost. That kind of raw honesty is not weakness; it’s worship.

3. Remember Who He Is

Here’s the tricky thing about disappointment: it doesn’t just bruise our hearts; it clouds our view of God. The enemy whispers, He’s not really good. He doesn’t care. You can’t trust Him with your future.

But disappointment must drive us deeper into God’s character, not away from it. When feelings scream otherwise, we anchor ourselves in truth:

•  God is faithful. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.” Lamentations 3:22 ESV
• God is wise. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.” Isaiah 55:9 ESV
• God is good. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble” Nahum 1:7 ESV

We may not see the full picture, but we can trust the One who does.

4. Let God Reframe the Story

Sometimes what feels like the end is really God’s redirection. Joseph knew what it was to be disappointed: betrayed, imprisoned, forgotten. And yet, years later, he could look his brothers in the eye and say, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20 ESV).

Could it be that your disappointment is not wasted either? That delay may be preparation. That closed door may be protection. That broken dream may be the soil for something even better to grow.

It doesn’t make the pain disappear, but it shifts our perspective from despair to expectation.

5. Lift Your Eyes to Eternal Hope

At its core, disappointment reminds us that this world will never fully satisfy. If every prayer was answered exactly as we wanted, if every dream came true, we might forget that we are pilgrims passing through.

Hebrews 11 speaks of those who “did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance” (v. 13 NIV). Their unmet expectations kept their eyes fixed on a better country – a heavenly one.

Your hope is not tied to this moment, this job, this relationship, or this dream. Your hope is tied to Jesus – the One who bore ultimate disappointment on the cross so you could inherit eternal joy.

6. Picking Yourself Up: Practical Steps

So, what do you do when disappointment lingers like a heavy shadow? Here are some simple, biblical practices:

1.  Pray honestly. Pour out your heart to God (see Psalm 62:8).
2. Cling to Scripture. Let His Word anchor you when emotions shift (see Psalm 119:105).
3. Lean on community. Don’t walk alone; allow others to carry your burdens (see Galatians 6:2).
4. Choose worship. Praise doesn’t erase the pain, but it lifts your eyes to God’s power (see Acts 16:25).
5. Look for redemption. Ask God how He might use even this disappointment for His glory (see Romans 8:28).

Rising after disappointment doesn’t mean pretending you’re fine. It means holding God’s hand as He leads you step by step toward healing and hope.

An Invitation to Hope

Friend, if you’re reading this through the lens of fresh disappointment, I want you to know this: you are not forgotten. God has not overlooked you. He has not abandoned your story.

Take a moment today to write down your disappointment. Name it clearly. Then, beside it, write one unshakable truth about God’s character. Let that truth become the banner over your pain. Because while disappointment may have the loudest voice right now, God has the final word.

A Prayer for the Disappointed Heart

Lord, I bring my disappointment before You today. You know the places where my heart feels heavy, where dreams have slipped away, where prayers seem unanswered. I confess that sometimes I struggle to trust You in the waiting. But today, I choose to believe You are still good, still faithful, still writing my story. Wrap me in Your comfort. Teach me to rest in Your presence. Heal what is broken, and use even this disappointment to draw me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Final Encouragement

Disappointment doesn’t get the last say. Jesus does. And in Him, your story is still unfolding with purpose, hope, and glory. One day, every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4). Until then, let disappointment lead you closer to the only One who never fails.

Marthe Badibanga

A volunteer blogger whose passion is to see the people of God become all that the LORD intended them to be in their personal relationships with Him that overflow into their daily lives.

The post When Disappointment Strikes: Finding Hope in God’s Word appeared first on Cup of Faith.

“Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.'” Isaiah 35:4 NIV

Following my last blog post, I felt led to double-down on this theme, focusing on that simple two-letter word: “HE”. There’s a reason this verse emphasizes the simple word. In times of fear, uncertainty, or anxiety, we don’t need a theology degree to find peace; we need to know who God is. And sometimes, just one word is enough to re-centre our soul.

In Isaiah 35:4, God doesn’t first give an action plan or an outcome; He gives us Himself.

When We Forget Who “He” Is

I know what it’s like to forget. I’ve been in seasons where anxiety narrowed my focus so much that all I could see were the problems right in front of me. Fear has a way of distorting our vision. It inflates our obstacles and shrinks our faith. It makes the “what ifs” feel louder than the “even ifs.”

But here’s the thing: fear thrives where God is small.

Not small in reality – God doesn’t shrink. But small in our minds. Small in our expectations. Small in our conversations.

That’s why this verse doesn’t start with the problem. It starts with the Person: He will come and save you.

Let’s take some time to remind our anxious, weary hearts just who this “He” is.

HE is the Almighty Creator

Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ESV

That’s where we begin: with the Creator of everything we see and everything we don’t. The God who shaped galaxies and crafted DNA. He is not just the God of stories; we’re talking about the One who flung stars into space and told oceans where to stop (Job 38:8–11).

Why does this matter? Because if He made all things, then nothing in your life is beyond His ability to handle. He doesn’t look at your circumstances and panic. He doesn’t scroll through your heartaches and feel confused about what to do next. He is never overwhelmed.

The God of Genesis 1 is still the God of your present moment.

HE is the God Who Sees

Hagar, a woman mistreated and cast aside, encounters God in the wilderness. In Genesis 16:13, she calls Him El Roi, “the God who sees me.”

Maybe you’ve felt forgotten in your fear. Maybe your anxious thoughts make you feel invisible, as though everyone else is moving on with life while you’re stuck under the weight of worry. I have certainly felt this way.

But “He” – the One in Isaiah 35:4 – is not only powerful; He is deeply personal. He sees you. Not as a problem to solve, but as a child to love.

When you feel overlooked, remember: He sees. And His eyes are full of compassion.

HE is the Lord, Strong and Mighty

Psalm 24:8 ESV asks, “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”

This is not a soft, passive God. This is a warrior-King. One who fights for you. One who steps into the battle when you feel like collapsing. One who has never lost.

When fear comes knocking, we often try to muster up strength from within. We grit our teeth, try to stay positive, or hide how afraid we are. But that’s not what the verse says. It doesn’t say, you will come and save yourself. It says, HE will come.

Your strength isn’t the starting point. His strength is.

So instead of asking, How can I get through this?, start asking, Who is going with me? Because the answer is: The Lord, strong and mighty.

HE is the Same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Hebrews 13:8 reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” ESV

The God who parted the Red Sea is the same One who leads you now. The God who calmed the storm is still speaking peace to your chaos. The God who raised the dead is still breathing life into what feels hopeless.

We often treat the Bible like a history book: true, but past tense. Yet the truth is: #He has not changed#. His power is still active. His presence is still near. His promises are still alive.

If He was enough for them, He is enough for you.

HE is Near to the Brokenhearted

One of my personal favourite verses. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” ESV

Sometimes we think God’s presence is strongest when we’re strong. But Scripture tells a different story: God draws near to the weak. The anxious. The crushed.

He doesn’t require you to be whole to come to Him; He comes to you because you’re not whole. That’s the heart of the gospel.

“He will come and save you” means exactly that: He will come near, and He will bring peace.

Right-Sizing God: The Real Heart Shift

So, let me ask: How big is God in your mind today?
Is He limited by your circumstances? Confined by your understanding? Boxed in by your expectations?

Because when we get a right-sized view of God, our fear loses its grip.

This isn’t about minimising your struggle; it’s about magnifying your Saviour.
It’s not about ignoring your anxiety; it’s about inviting the One who is bigger than it.
It’s not about pretending you’re not afraid; it’s about choosing to anchor your heart in the truth of who God is.

When we fix our eyes on ‘He’, everything else begins to fall into place.

Right-Size God

If fear has been louder than faith lately, here’s what I invite you to do:
1. Read Isaiah 35:4 aloud; put your name in it. Let it become personal.
“Say to [your name], ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…’”
2. Worship with intentionality
Listen to “He Will Come and Save You” by Bob Fitts again this week. Let worship shift your perspective and re-centre your heart.
3. Right-size God in your life.
Make a list of every attribute of God you can think of. Start with Creator, Healer, Provider, King, Shepherd, Saviour. Then write your fears next to them and declare that God is bigger.
4. Pray this simple prayer every morning:
“God, help me see You as You really are today. Bigger than my fear, stronger than my struggle, and closer than I feel.”

You’re Not Alone in the Fear

You may feel overwhelmed, but the “He” in Isaiah 35:4 is not.

He is mighty. He is near.
He is personal. He is faithful.
He will come – and He will come for you.

So, the next time your heart begins to race or your thoughts spiral out of control, remember:
You don’t need all the answers.
You don’t need to feel strong.
You just need to know this truth:

He is God. And He’s coming for you.

Marthe Badibanga

A volunteer blogger whose passion is to see the people of God become all that the LORD intended them to be in their personal relationships with Him that overflow into their daily lives.

The post He: The One Who Comes To Save appeared first on Cup of Faith.