Bringing our feelings of rejection to the Lord

There are few pangs more painful than rejection, few things that knock our confidence so hard and batter our trust, especially when these things come from the hands of believers. Whether or not you are active in ministry, it is highly likely that you will know what it is to have a loved one turn their backs on you, perhaps walk out on you or even betray you. If you are one who has suffered the sharp stings of rejection, this is for you. As the prophet said, ‘These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends.’ (Zech. 13:6) Jesus, many of us have been so hard hit by the power of rejection that we feel like deeply pin-pricked dartboards. We may even have grown used to burying the hurts and doing our best just to soldier on. But You are life and hope, and these piercing darts are as nothing in comparison to the depths of Your love and acceptance of us. Nothing is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank You Jesus, that You too have walked this way. You are deeply acquainted with sorrow and grief, and You know the effect rejection has on people’s bodies and souls and nervous system. You long to comfort us and make us whole again. May we not take other people’s scorn and rejection of us into our inmost being so that it dominates our whole outlook on life. Help us to distinguish between deliberately hurtful comments that really do represent outright rejection, and challenges that actually contain more than a nugget of truth, which if we receive them aright, can lead to greater wisdom and deeper repentance.