Frustration Doesn’t Get the Last Word
Thursday’s Verse:
From Psalm 119:105 NIV
Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
Have you ever been frustrated for absolutely no reason?
As I’ve gotten older, I find my life is filled with these little frustrations that, on the surface, have no real starting point. For instance, yesterday morning, when I got out of bed and asked Google to turn on the lights, I noticed that I had left a cup on the small table next to a chair. That set me off! Why? I don’t know. The night before, I drank a cup of Oat & Almond milk from PlantStrong as I typed in my journal. I left it there because I didn’t want to go down into the kitchen and wash it. Yet, seeing that cup on Wednesday morning, I became frustrated for failing to do the one thing I promised myself not to do: Leave dirty dishes, especially in the bedroom. For the next few hours, this was the only thing I took time to think about. “Why didn’t you get off your butt and wash it last night?” my inner self yelled at itself.
Frustration is a fog. It muffles our thoughts. It shortens our fuse. It makes every decision feel like a dead end. We say things we regret. We give up too soon. We grow weary of trying.
Psalm 119:105 doesn’t promise a spotlight to illuminate the whole road ahead. It promises a lamp for your feet. God doesn’t always promise instant answers or immediate solutions. He promises light for the next step.
That’s grace. When frustration knocks, God doesn’t yell at us to snap out of it or open our eyes to see the big picture. He lavishes just enough light for us to take the next step in faith. His Word brings calm to chaos. Order to confusion. And even when we can’t see the way forward, His promises are still true. Even when we can’t control our circumstances, His mercy is still unchanging.
And if we’ve blown it in our frustration—snapped at someone, made a rash decision, or even doubted God—Christ has already covered us in His cross. What Christ did on the cross speaks louder than our mess-ups. His forgiveness is deep enough to reach our lowest moments.
Frustration will come (you, too, could leave a dirty cup in your bedroom tonight), but it doesn’t get the last word. God’s Word does. So crack open that lamp. Let it light your next step. And trust that He is walking with you even when the path is hard.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord, there are days I’m really frustrated. I don’t see the way at all. Help me slow down, open Your Word, and trust You are leading me -one step at a time. Thank You for grace when I stumble. Thank You for Jesus, the Light that never goes out. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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