I remember one of the times when I felt God disappointed me big time. Must have been in high school, I wanted a bicycle so bad. I had started learning something small about faith and I decided to walk in what I was learning. So I prayed and declared that by the end of that year I would have my bicycle. Guess who was pretty upset that 31^st night? 

While this may be on the lighter side, there are some very deep issues that make us feel God disappointed us. A denied college or job application, a failed relationship or marriage, or the death of a loved one, the list is endless. I have had one or two myself, and I know how deep the hurt can be. It can shake the foundations of your entire Christian faith. And for anyone who is hurting because at this moment, you remember something that happened, or something that is happening as you read, I pray you receive divine comfort. 

It especially hurts when it looks like God is doing for others what you desperately need. The cheeks hurt extra when you have to force that smile because your God healed your friend’s dad of cancer, the condition for which your mum is on a ventilator battling for her life. What do we do when it looks like God isn’t coming through for us? I am not about to drop some revelation that will give all the answers, but I hope that someone reading this will receive strength to forge on, having full faith and confidence in God and His love for us. 

A true story is written of a woman who needed a miracle for her demon-possessed daughter. She heard Jesus was in town and her hope revived. She didn’t even put make-up or cologne on. She rushed out of the house in a frenzy, hoping to catch Jesus and finally have this one problem solved. A few meters into her run, she realized she had left her wig at home, and her hair was looking like a mosquito coil. But who cared?! All she could think of was how her life was going to be changed in an instant. She took the bend that led to the city square and saw Him, unmistakable in His seamless garment. She fell at his feet and cried for mercy. And if you haven’t read this story before, you’re about to be shocked! 

Jesus was silent. His disciples asked Him to sack the woman. Jesus said he had nothing for her, because she wasn’t Jewish. Then Jesus called her a dog! 

See, this is a true story. You can read all about it in the 21^st to 26^th verses of Matthew 15. You can imagine how the woman felt. She must have felt crushed! And this is exactly how it feels when the all-powerful God just won’t come through for us.  

Look at her response in the 27^th verse: “Yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 

Wow, this is huge. She didn’t try to forcefully claim her miracle as her right, as some faith preachers would have us do. She didn’t shout, “I’m not a dog in Jesus name, Jesus!” She said she would hang around for anything she got. This is the kind of faith God commends; the faith that stays on even when it looks like God has rejected you. Great faith isn’t necessarily faith that produces great results. Great faith is the faith that is enduring. The faith that endures is God-focused, not result-focused. It really does look like God is sometimes doing the barest minimum for us while others are rejoicing at the table he has set for them in the presence of their enemies. This faith says however, that even if we don’t get to dine with kings and queens on all God’s benefits, the crumbs He has given and is giving us are OK. The biggest crumb is His death on the cross, a meal on its own that never runs out. And we know we are better off with His crumbs than at the feast of any other. 

So the next time you feel disappointed by God, just look around you, and let gratitude well up in your heart. His crumbs are all around, and we are grateful for that. This is great faith.