**Clinging to God in Seasons of Disappointment
How to trust God’s promises when your deepest desires
remain unmet.
July 28th, 2025 / Faith Activist Post
Psalm 37:4 offers a beautiful promise “Delight yourself in the
Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Yet what do
we do when those desires remain unfulfilled? What happens when you
are genuinely seeking God praying, obeying, delighting in Him and
still your heart aches for something good that never comes?
This is a reality many believers face. Creation itself, Paul
reminds us, is “groaning” with unfulfilled longing (Romans 8:22).
The question is not whether disappointments will come, but how we
respond to them.
One woman’s story illustrates this struggle powerfully. At 52,
she walks with a cane after surviving a severe accident that left
her in a months-long coma and required years of therapy. She has
prayed for decades to be married, yet remains single and has never
even been kissed. Her question is raw: “Does this mean I’ve been
refined only for God? Am I misunderstanding His promises?”
When Longings Go Unmet
The truth is, every Christian carries unfulfilled desires of
some kind a marriage that is not what we hoped for, a child who has
wandered from faith, a career that never took shape, a health
crisis that lingers.
We read promises like “Ask, and it will be given to you”
(Matthew 7:7), and “No good thing does he withhold from those who
walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11), and we wonder if our unanswered
prayers mean something has gone wrong. Yet the Bible itself gives
us examples of faithful people living with “unanswered” longings.
Paul pleaded three times for God to remove his “thorn in the
flesh,” but the answer was no because Christ’s power was made
perfect in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8–9). In the end, Paul
found contentment in what God had chosen for him, because Christ
Himself became his deepest satisfaction (2 Corinthians 12:10).
This is a profound truth for us: when God says “no” or “not
yet,” He invites us into a deeper joy, one that isn’t dependent on
circumstances, but on His presence.
Learning to Trust Again
How do we live with this tension, year after year?
1. Cast your burden daily.
Unfulfilled desires are heavy burdens. If we try to carry
them alone, they will crush us. Scripture tells us, “Cast your
burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).
Every morning, we can come to God and say, “Father, my heart
aches for this longing. But You are wise, good, and loving. I
roll this burden onto You again today. Show me how to walk in
freedom.”
2. Resist the temptation to wear your pain as a badge.
It’s easy to let disappointment shape how we present our-
selves to others, subtly trying to communicate how hard our lives
are. But the Spirit calls us to maturity to acknowledge our
longings before God and a few trusted friends, while still choosing
to live a life marked by joy.
Christian maturity does not deny sorrow, but it refuses to
let sorrow define us. It is possible to taste unfulfilled desires
and still live a life full of purpose, friendships, ministry, and
hope.
3. Recognize God’s deeper promise.
Sometimes, our deepest longing is not ultimately for marriage,
health, or success it is for a life that matters, a life that
reflects God’s worth. And God promises to give us that. He promises
Himself.
As Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his right-
eousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Even when we do not receive what we hoped for, we can trust that
God is giving us what is best for our souls both now and for
eternity.
Living With Hope
Many faithful believers have lived full, joy-filled lives
while carrying unmet desires. Think of the single women who devoted
their lives to missionary work Amy Carmichael, Mary Slessor, Gladys
Aylward, and others. Their lives weren’t defined by what they
lacked, but by what they pursued: the glory of Christ.
Our hope is not in getting everything we want in this life.
Our hope is in a God who promises us Himself. Psalm 16:11 reminds
us, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand
are pleasures forevermore.”
So, to the one whose heart is breaking from unmet desires,
remember this: You are not forgotten. God is not withholding good
from you. He is shaping you for something eternal.
Every day, roll your burdens onto Him. Ask Him for strength to
live fully, even with a “melancholy note” in your life’s symphony.
And trust that the joy He has prepared for you will one day out-
shine every earthly disappointment.**
God says He will save His people. He also explains that those
who choose to not obey His Commandments will have their names
removed from The Lamb's Book of Life.
I can't imagine anyone would condemn themselves to a life in
Hell FOREVER.
Conservatively,
John
Conservativelyjohn.com 