Can God Disappoint?

When we hear the phrase "God never disappoints," experience rises to object. We think of all the times our prayers have gone unanswered or life didn't go as planned. Disappointment is a regular part of life, often seeming to come from God Himself. So is it true that God never disappoints?
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There is a difference between being disappointed about and being disappointed in. We are often disappointed about situations or circumstances that did not live up to our expectation. We are even disappointed when God does not do what we thought he would do. But being disappointed about what God does or does not do is different from being disappointed IN God. When we are disappointed IN someone, character comes into question. Someone has behaved in a way that defies what you know about them. For example, you learn that your best friend, the missionary, robbed a bank. Your spouse, whose honesty you admire, embezzled from his company. To be disappointed IN someone means that a person we trusted is not altogether trustworthy. They acted in contrast to their character.

So even though God may not act in situations as we hoped He would, He can never disappoint. He is always true to His nature. He never varies, changes, or fails to be who He is. We may not always understand who He is or why He does things the way He does, but His character is never in question. If His word says it, it is still true. If He promised it, He will do it. If He was kind and loving 5000 years ago, He is still kind and loving. And He will be tomorrow. We live with disappointment, and unfortunately we disappoint others. We and others will act in contrast to our characters. But we can say with certainty, that God never will. He never disappoints.

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