Some things are simply meant to be together: Cookies and milk. Apples and oranges. Peanut butter and jelly. Rainy nights and cozy blankets.
Certain pairings just make sense.
Surprisingly, life has shown me that disappointment and clarity can also be one of those pairs. Not the small disappointments—like missing a show or a phone call—but those deep, soul-shaking disappointments that can border on despair, even hopelessness.
Scripture is filled with stories of people who faced profound disappointment—even what seemed like utter tragedy—only to find clarity emerging in the midst of it.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne—high, exalted!”
The prophet Isaiah’s story is a powerful example. He experienced the sorrow of losing a wise and steady leader, King Uzziah. Uzziah, though imperfect, had been a good leader, bringing peace and stability to the people. But his time came, as it does for everyone.
Why? Why him? Why now?
As Billy Joel famously asked, why does it seem like only the good die young? Or, on the other hand, as the psalmist wondered, why do the arrogant seem untouched by life’s troubles? Surely, losing this leader would signal decline for the nation.
In his grief and frustration, Isaiah retreated to his place of spiritual refuge. Perhaps the noise of the people and the turmoil within his own heart had become overwhelming. And in that moment of profound spiritual emptiness, clarity came. He didn’t see a resurrected king or even a new ruler in Uzziah’s place. What he saw was something entirely different.
“I saw the Master sitting on a throne—high, exalted!”
In that vision, his grief gave way to a clearer and more powerful view of the true Leader.
As the Apostle John would later write, “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Categories: Acts17seventeen
Pastor Mark
Mark, the eighth of nine children born to Reuben and Henrietta Meeks—dedicated church planters with nearly 30 congregations established across California’s Central Valley—is a preacher's kid who grew up immersed in faith and service. With over forty years of experience teaching, discipling, and ministering to communities, including the hospitalized and incarcerated, Mark responded to God's call to pastoral ministry. He holds degrees in civil engineering and public administration, as well as a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary, equipping him to serve with both practical insight and spiritual depth.
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