For many of us, the past year has been a time of self-analysis. While COVID-19 shut the whole world down, we were each confronted with a shocking awareness of the condition of our own heart. To be honest, there were countless times in which I felt frustrated. With life, myself, my past, even with those around me. I asked God to show me what to do but I was often confronted with silence. Now, I understand it served a purpose. There was something I needed to learn, something I had yet to discover. So…I read psychological articles, examined my reactions, studied my personality, delved into my past to find the root of my fears, and I searched the Word of God.
I’ve realized frustration can be caused by a lack of trust, feeling insecure, needing control, perfectionism, comparison, or purpose and potential that lay dormant within us. These can leave us feeling frustrated…and I’ve faced them all. The good thing is, frustration is a feeling and we are supposed to live by faith. So our answer is found in the Word of God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust God with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your paths.” We may think that we do this. We pray, seek God, ask for counsel when making big decisions. Yet the moment we face opposition, we seem to think that God has abandoned us and that He’s not really directing our steps.
We easily get frustrated and are tempted to give up. We don’t know where the next source of provision will come from, or when we will be healed in our body, or how the brokenness in the world, even in our own family, could somehow be restored. We may also feel insecure…in our abilities, potential, worth, even in our relationship with God. This is where frustration can settle in…or it’s where faith can take over.
Faith waits on God and trusts in His plan even when we don’t understand. Faith speaks life over the situation even when it’s impossible to control the outcome. Faith believes and acts constantly and with unwavering determination. This causes us to overcome the frustration that the enemy may have sown into our hearts and minds.
Frustration won’t last forever. So let it move you in the right direction. Let it push you more towards the truth of the Word. Let it motivate you to operate in the opposite spirit and to live by faith. God will even show you a scripture to read in times of frustration. I’m often reminded of my favorite chapter, Psalm 37, which speaks of God’s faithfulness. At the first sign of frustration, that’s what I read. You can find a scripture that works for you too, one that encourages you to stand in faith. And soon you’ll find that frustration is a defeated foe that no longer has power in your life.
