Day 23: Healing of Rejection

Dear friend,

God’s love can bring healing for one of the deepest, perhaps the deepest, of all human wounds – the wound of rejection. The wound of feeling unwanted, unloved, uncared for, unappreciated, of losing the perspective of your own value. And I want to take two passages both from the Old Testament to deal with the healing power of God’s love in two of the primary areas where we experience rejection.

Today, we will look at the first, the rejection of a wife from her husband (or vice versa). In my next devotional, we will deal with the second, the rejection of a child from his/her parents.

Isaiah 54, verses 4 through 8, picture the rejected wife and God’s promise to her:

“‘Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. [There are three things that torment us: shame, disgrace, humiliation. Almost any woman that’s been through a divorce knows something of the meaning of those words – shame, disgrace, humiliation. God goes on:] You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband – the LORD Almighty is His name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit – a wife who married young, only to be rejected,’ says your God. ‘For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the LORD your Redeemer.” (NIV)

So much in these verses applies to God’s people, Israel. It applies also to the church of Jesus Christ, but it also applies individually in the life of each one of us who has come into that place of need where we felt despised, rejected, we’ve been humiliated, somebody has let us down. Some personal relationship we’ve built so much upon has crumbled and failed us and we are left, as it were, sitting in the ruins, sitting in the dust, humiliated, embarrassed, disgraced.

God says I will heal that situation, I’ll come into that situation and I will be to you whatever that human person failed you in. I’ll be your strength. I’ll encourage you. I’ll lift you up.

For reflection and prayer

God has compassion for us. His healing love lifts people up who feel despised.