I’ve been hearing from increasing numbers of people who are experiencing higher-than-normal levels of frustration. Some are frustrated by what they see happening in the nations. Others are frustrated at the lack of momentum they see taking place in our political system. People are frustrated after years of hard work with little financial reward to show for their efforts. Some pastors have become frustrated by a lack of passion they see demonstrated by those they are called to shepherd. Pick your frustration. It’s afoot and rampant.

In each case, I encourage people, myself included, no matter what their circumstances might be, to not give up and let frustration have its way. That is the goal of frustration. It makes us feel like all our efforts to do what we believe God has asked of us seem ineffective because we are not seeing the desired results. 

Frustration is not from God. It is created in those parts of our emotional and spiritual makeup that are still in the process of maturing. The feeling of defeat created by our frustration is a place Satan wants us to live because he can more easily manipulate us and, in some cases, help us make fatal errors that will derail our calling.

To step out of frustration and into a place of peace requires that we make an exchange. We must give God our frustration in exchange for His peace. This can only happen when our willingness to trust God takes authority over our feelings of frustration. The suggestion of an exchange can seem useless, even foolish, when we become depressed in our frustration because we have been taught that by adding just a bit more effort something will change.

The Lord is bringing us to a place in our seasons of frustration where we will have nothing left to offer except the yielding of our will to His. Only at that point is a breakthrough possible because we are finally willing to give up our need to understand what is happening and try to control an outcome. 

If we fail to make the exchange, we will become another casualty in God’s Kingdom where our potential was robbed leaving us bitter and angry at the world, the Church, and eventually, at God.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).