Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  2 Corinthians 2:14

Frustration is no stranger to the child of God.  Believers live in a world of broken pieces, and buses which are late, and budgets which will not balance, just the same as the man who is an atheist.  I contend, however, that the child of God should have some resources with which to fight frustration.  Yes, the believer has powers to cope that the atheist does not have.  Like what?

Let us go back to the source of much of our frustration–goals which are not reached and expectations which are not fulfilled.  Thus frustration results.  For the believer, his goals and objectives should rest upon the will of God, what he believes God wants him to accomplish, and much frustration can be eliminated by aligning our goals and objectives with the will of God.  What should our response be, when what we want to accomplish does not happen?

Guideline #1: Reassess your goals.  It may well be that you are trying to do something which God does not want you to do, and your frustration is the result of violating His plan for your life.  Do not expect God to block everything you try to do that is wrong.  Natural laws which are violated will result in natural consequences.  Prayer won’t eliminate an unwanted pregnancy the morning after, or guilt, or whatever.  But sometimes our goals are wrong–consequently frustration comes.  We are like the businessman who came to me quite annoyed that God was not answering his prayer.  Yes, he was frustrated.  He knew that something was wrong somewhere.  The only problem was that his frustration was the result of asking for something God did not want him to have–a million dollars.

Guideline #2: Remove the source of your frustration if you can.  Obviously, it is not possible every time.  But say, for example: You have an old car that keeps breaking down, and you keep thinking, “This time we will have it fixed right.”  Eventually there is a breaking point, and it may be you instead of your car.  The problem with this guideline is that it seldom works with people.  You cannot trade in your brother-in-law for a new model, so there has to be another alternative.

Guideline #3: Realize God is sovereign no matter what happens.  At some point we need God’s grace to accept what we cannot change.  If you are God’s child, you must realize that He has the means of overriding your puny ambitions and giving you the grace to cope with frustration.  If we could see life from God’s perspective, how different things would be.  Romans 8:28 is often quoted out of context, but it is important.  God works all things after the counsel of His will.

Guideline #4: Bring your frustration to the Lord and lay it at His feet.  Paul did this as he asked the Lord to remove that thorn in the flesh–not once, or twice, but three times, and three times he did not get what he asked for.  He got something better.  “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Guideline #5: Overcome your frustration by laying hold of God’s power to break through the enemy’s territory.  There can be a triumph that breaks through frustration.  Paul wrote about it in 2 Corinthians 2:14 as he said, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him…”

This is why Paul and Silas could sing in prison with their backs raw and bleeding from the beating they had received.  It was why John could rejoice from prison and see the vision of heaven’s glory.  Now we see through a glass darkly.  With spiritual vision we see beyond the frustration that whips so many.  It is the ultimate solution.

Resource reading: Acts 16:6-10