HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 140
page A138
Friendship continued
PROMISES FROM GOD
• L E V I T I C U S 2 6 :1 2 | “I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.”
• NA H U M 1 :7 | The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those
who trust in him.
Frustration See also Anger; Bitterness
Frustration has many faces—you may feel baffled, shut out, defeated, disappointed, dissatisfied, neutralized, undermined, or inhibited. Frustration empties you, confuses you,
undercuts you, and makes you feel like you were so close and yet so far away. The Bible
says that frustrations are a part of living in this sinful world. And one of the biggest frustrations is the way sin and evil seem so often to push away good. But God offers us the
bigger picture: Frustrations are temporary obstacles that can be overcome, sometimes
by eliminating them, but most often by persevering through them.
Why do I get frustrated?
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• MI CA H 6 :1 5 | “You will plant crops but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not
get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make
your wine.” (See note on Bitterness on page 823.)
Sometimes you are frustrated when you work hard for something but it doesn’t happen.
HelpFinder
• J A ME S 4 :3 | And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—
you want only what will give you pleasure.
Sometimes you are frustrated in your prayers, expecting certain answers that never come
because you have the wrong motives. You don’t see how God is actually protecting you
from what will hurt you.
• E Z R A 4 :5 | They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans.
Sometimes we are frustrated when others try to hinder or stop what God has called us
to do.
• J O B 1 0 :1 8 | “Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb? Why didn’t you let
me die at birth?”
Pain and suffering bring frustration.
• PSA L M 9 4 :3 | How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
Everyone should be frustrated by the evil all around us.
How am I to respond to frustration?
• PR O V E R B S 2 1 :2 | People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their
heart.
Examining the source of your frustration helps you know how to deal with it. There is a big
difference between being frustrated in your quest to do good and being frustrated because
you are not getting your way. Each must be dealt with differently.
• J O S H U A 1 :9 | “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever
you go.”
Don’t be discouraged. You have a source of strength and courage to see you through.
• E X O DU S 1 7 :4 | Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these
people?”
• J O H N 6 :5 | “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”
Recognize that some problems don’t have a human solution. You must take them to God.
Only he is able to handle them.
• E PH E S I A NS 6 :4 | Do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.
Be careful what you say when you are frustrated.