FEELINGS OF REJECTION

This is one of the devil’s favourite weapons and that is make a person feel rejected, to feel abandoned, to feel lonely but it is not always the case that a person is rejected. To reject is to discard something or someone as unwanted or defective. When a person is rejected, great pain is often the result. A fiancé is rejected when the engagement is broken; a student is rejected by his or her peer group; a child is rejected by a parent; in each case the consequences are devastating.

Being rejected:

How should we respond when we feel rejected?

O Adonai Elohiym, there are two things I beg of You and I will be able to face You. Remove Your hand from me and don’t terrify me with Your awesome presence. -- Job 13:20-21. Job was especially upset because YHVH was silent, giving no reasons for his suffering. Job misinterpreted YHVH’s silence as rejection and once again he said that it was not his suffering that bothered him as much as this apparent rejection. If YHVH had given reasons however, Job’s faith would probably not have been stretched and strengthened.

Remember that YHVH’s servants often experience rejection:

Then Yeshua told them, ‘A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.’ -- Mark 6:4. Yeshua said that a prophet [in other words, a worker for YHVH] is never honoured in his hometown. But that doesn’t make his work any less important. A person doesn’t need to be respected or honoured to be useful to YHVH. If friends, neighbours or family don’t respect your gospel work, don’t let their rejection keep you from serving YHVH.

Remember to encourage one another in times of rejection:

The disciples were sent out in pairs. Individually they could have reached more areas of the country, but this was not Moshiach’s plan. One advantage in going out by two’s was that they could strengthen and encourage each other, especially when they faced rejection. Our strength comes from YHVH, but He meets many of our needs through our teamwork with others. As you serve Christ, don’t try to go it alone.

Rejecting YHVH:

How do people reject YHVH?

We sometimes trust human leaders more than we trust Elohiym:

Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before Adonai at Mizpah. And he gave them this message from Adonai, the Elohiym of Israel: ‘I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. But though I have done so much for you, you have rejected Me and said, ‘We want a king instead!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before Adonai by tribes and clans.’ -- 1 Samuel 10:17-19. Israel’s true king was YHVH, but the nation demanded another king. Imagine wanting a human being instead of YHVH as guide and leader! Throughout history, men and women have rejected YHVH and they continue to do it today. Are you rejecting YHVH by pushing Him aside and acknowledging someone or something else as your [king] or top priority? Learn from these stories of Israel’s kings and don’t push YHVH aside.

We sometimes reject YHVH by trusting our own judgment more than we trust Him:

Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no Elohim.’ They are corrupt and their actions are evil; no one does good! -- Psalm 14:1. The true atheist is either foolish or wicked; foolish because he ignores the evidence that YHVH exists or wicked because he refuses to live by YHVH’s truths. We become atheists in practice when we rely more on ourselves than on YHVH. The fool mentioned here is someone who is aggressively perverse in his actions. To speak in direct defiance of YHVH is utterly foolish according to the Bible.

We reject YHVH when we reject His offer of Salvation:

Then Yeshua asked them, ‘Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?’ -- Matthew 21:42. In trying to reach us with His love, YHVH finally sent His own Son. Yeshua’ perfect life, His Words of truth and His sacrifice of love are meant to cause us to listen to Him and to follow Him as Adonai. If we ignore YHVH’s gracious gift of His Son, we reject YHVH Himself.

How can I recover from rejection in my life?

Isaiah 53:1-12: -- He was despised and rejected… We turned our backs on Him. As the prophet looks forward to Moshiach, who would be despised and rejected by others, we know we have a Saviour who understands. 1 Peter 5:7: -- Give all your worries and cares to YHVH, for He cares about what happens to you. Don’t try to deal with rejection by yourself. Bring your concerns to YHVH. John 14:15-26: -- When the Father sends the Counsellor as My representative and by the Counsellor I mean Ruach HaKodesh; He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. Invite Ruach HaKodesh into your life. Yeshua promised Ruach HaKodesh would stay with us forever. Romans 8:38: -- I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Remember that, though others may reject us, nothing can separate us from YHVH’s love!

Will YHVH ever reject me?

John 4:1-26: -- Yeshua replied, ‘If you only knew the gift YHVH has for you and who I am, you would ask Me and I would give you living water!’ Yeshua did not reject the sinful Samaritan woman, but rather offered her living water. John 8:1-11: -- ‘Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Adonai,’ she said. And Yeshua said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’ YHVH rejects the sin without rejecting the sinner. John 6:37: -- Those the Father has given Me will come to Me and I will never reject them. Adonai accepts all who come to Him in faith.