I can think of nothing more difficult than the experience of rejection by someone close to us. We have numerous examples of rejection from Genesis to Revelation.
In Psalm 55, David described a time of great heartbreak in his life.
4My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
5Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
8I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:4-8
What happened? Why would David say such heart wrenching things? What brought David to this deep valley and darkness where he would say such things? He explained his situation:
12If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
14with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers. Psalm 55:12-14
David’s close friend and companion became his enemy. This close friend who once supported him, turned on him. Has that ever happened to you?
Where is God in our times of being rejected by those who were close to us? Is God Sovereign even in our times of greatest hurt and disappointment? Why would God allow such things to take place if we belong to Him?
Here are 3 Truths about God’s Sovereignty we see through His word:
God loves us
When we are rejected by others who no longer love us, we can be assured that God’s love is faithful and will not change. Our love as humans can be very uncertain far from ideal. God’s love is perfect and will not fail us. We cannot say the same about others or even our own love.
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39
God is with us
We are not alone. God will never leave us and understands like no other all that we are going through since His Son encountered the worst of the worst in terms of rejection from others including those closest to Him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3
God is directing us
God will use our most painful moments for His glory and our good. My Dad lived a life away from church for many years. This all changed in 1974. He was the airport manager in our town. This position was very demanding and time consuming. Church life was not a priority for him and had not been since I was born 15 years earlier.
A man who worked closely with my father turned on him. He worked out a plan with the political leaders of our community to have my father fired. His plan worked and my Dad was fired. In the local newspaper was this headline- Airport Manager Fired. It was a devastating time in our life.
However, something wonderful took place during that most difficult time. My Dad turned back to God. He started reading the Bible again every day. He came back to church and rededicated his life to God. He had several job opportunities and one of them led to a new business in our area. He dedicated his business to the glory of God and the Lord greatly blessed him and us.
I asked him if he ever missed flying? He quickly answered, “No!” He said, “Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened him.” God used that most painful experience to turn his life and his faith around.
My Dad’s favorite verse was Romans 8:28-
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
What may seem like a disaster in a time of rejection can be the hand of God at work to lead us to a much better place. Life is painful, but God is good and is leading us day by day. God is in control and we can trust Him.
Still Waters Renewal is a Retreat ministry offered to all who need a time away for rest, renewal and hopefully some fun. We have a few spots available for our Branson retreat in September and our Moro Bay retreat in November. Click here to sign up!
Jim Daniel