Our times of disappointment often boil down to God not giving us what we thought He wanted to. 

Upon the Israelites' quest to the promised land, their route takes them through Moab. And for Moab’s King, Balak, this has him in fear that his nation is going to be wiped out. So, he summons Balaam, a Moabite who serves as a bit of a prophet. But the first message Balaam gives isn’t what the king wanted: Israel will prosper. Balak demands another and Balaam says in Numbers 23:19, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.” Essentially, the Lord affirms what he first said, and reminds Balak of his character, of just who it is that’s speaking. 

Perhaps, when your hopes have been dashed, you’ve asked God for a different message too. One that ends with you getting the job promotion, or your relationship continuing. But what we’re reminded here is that God’s immutable. He doesn’t change. In this verse, God confronts exactly what we’re prone to in the situations, treating him like he’s another human being.