A prayer for perseverance in a time of rejection

Lord Jesus, every single time we reach out to someone, we risk having our words being misunderstood and our efforts rejected. It was no different for You, and You warned us that those who love darkness would hate us on account of You. You even said that we are blessed when this is so! (Mark 13:13, Luke 6:22) But it doesn’t always feel that way, Lord God, any more than it could have done for You when You first returned to Nazareth and everyone was praising You. (Luke 4:15,22) But when You spoke the deeper truths the townsfolk needed to hear, they tried to throw You off a cliff, the very elders of the synagogue You had always attended at the front of the crowd. You went travelling the length and breadth of the land, doing good, manifesting compelling evidence of the power of God at work in You . . . And yet so many turned their backs against You instead of their hearts toward You, fearing the disapproval of their leaders. It was easier to reject something so preposterous so threatening to their religion and the life they were familiar with. There is a cost to pay in following You, and they were unwilling to pay it. If only they could have sought to understand You, been willing to grapple with the truth of Your words and life! And me, Lord? Am I grappling with Your truths sufficiently? Am I truly willing to count the cost and continue to follow You when pressure and rejections come my way? I want to walk with You in truth as well grace. Help me not to be surprised by the fiery ordeals and rejection that that will inevitably come. Grant me the courage to persevere through it all. And Lord, teach me through the rejections I suffer. Find ways to show me where my own words and attitudes have raised stumbling blocks and provoked unnecessarily strong reactions. Help me to notice the ways in which I put people off, instead of shining a light that leads to You.