One of my favorite weekly things that I get to do as a pastor at Christ Church happens on Monday mornings. I feel a bit guilty for saying that as I know for many people Monday mornings are the low point of the week… A group of us start by talking and praying for folks who are sick or have prayer concerns. Then, as a senior staff, we read a chapter of the bible together and just discuss it. We intentionally pick something we’re not preaching or teaching about anytime soon. And no one really leads, so there’s no preparation for it. It’s just an opportunity for us to hear from God’s Word and I can’t think of a week where He hasn’t shown up and spoken to us. 

Right now, we’re in 1 Peter 2 and one phrase in verse 6 really hit me this week: “he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.” Such a simple and clear statement. Yet, the more I think about it the more weight it seems to carry for me. I say me specifically because I think disappointment is something I’m pretty good at. If you’ve heard any of my sermons or been in a discipleship group with me, you’ve heard me talk not just about specific things I worry about – but also just my tendency to worry in general. Lately, this tendency is something that I feel like the Lord is really putting His finger on. 

At first glance, this verse isn’t about worry. But I feel like it shed a little light on the anatomy of my propensity to not trust Jesus with certain things. My worries seem to be future oriented. What about this? What about that? What if that happens? What if something doesn’t happen? Usually, in some way, I’m worried that I’m going to be disappointed with future outcomes. It’s awful to say this in light of how many times God has shown up to me in phenomenally good ways, but I’m worried God is going to let me down. Worried that He is going to disappoint me. 

There are a lot of things a person deals with on a daily basis that Scripture doesn’t speak directly into. The bible isn’t necessarily a handbook on marriage or parenting. It won’t tell you the ins and outs of how to run a business. But here’s a time when God’s Word spoke directly into what I’m dealing with….I’m worried He’ll let me down. 1 Peter 2:6 says that He won’t. The one qualification placed on this promise is that I believe in Him. Not in myself. Not in someone else. Not in what’s probable. But, in the person Jesus Christ. 

Which means, I can begin to worry about something that, in many ways, seems entirely disconnected from Jesus. And right inside of that something, I can choose to believe in Him and know – “Lord, you won’t disappoint me in this.” Other people might. (No real surprise there). I will probably disappoint myself. (Definitely no surprise there). But, with Jesus and the potential of being disappointed – there are no surprises. He’s not going to let me down. 

Now you might ask, “Daniel, didn’t you know that before?” I’m sure I did, at a cognitive level or something. But this week, when we read through that passage, it hit me in the heart. Maybe it’s a truth you need to be touched by as well. Take a minute and kind of breathe that Scripture in. The one who believes in the Lord will NOT be disappointed. That is good news for you and for me!