The Summit Church

Use this space to take notes.

What’s something small or funny you’ve been disappointed by recently?
(For example: a movie that didn’t live up to the hype, a restaurant that wasn’t as good as you expected, etc.)

This week we discussed how many of us believe God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving—yet we still experience disappointment when He doesn’t act the way we expect.
How have you personally wrestled with the tension between what you believe about God and what you’ve experienced in life?

Pastor Jonathan pointed out that disappointment with God often reveals something about our expectations of Him, not His character. Describe a time when you realized that your disappointment with God came from expecting Him to operate on your definition of “good” rather than His?

How does remembering that God sees the bigger picture change the way you process seasons of confusion or pain?

During the message this past week, you may have heard that “Trust and faith don’t exempt us from disappointment, but they give us a hand to hold through it.” What are some healthy ways you’ve learned to bring your honest frustrations and questions to God instead of pulling away from Him?

Joseph experienced years of disappointment before seeing God’s purpose. Looking back on your own life, where have you seen God bring good out of something that once felt deeply disappointing?

As you think about current disappointments in your life, what would it look like this week to refocus your trust, purpose, and hope in God instead of in outcomes?

Closing Prayer
Jesus, we come to You honestly, just as we are. You know our questions, our frustrations, and the disappointments we carry. Thank You that You are big enough to handle our doubts and gentle enough to meet us in them. Help us to remember that Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts and Your ways are higher than our ways. When we don’t understand, give us the courage to keep trusting. When we feel let down, remind us of Your unfailing love. When we are hurting, draw us closer instead of allowing us to pull away. Teach us to bring our honest prayers to You, just like David did—to cry out, to ask “How long?”, and still choose to say, “But I trust in Your unfailing love.” We place our disappointments in Your hands tonight. Shape us through them, grow us through them, and use them for our good and Your glory. Thank You that our pain is not for nothing and that You are with us in every season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.