Years ago, most cities had a local Rejection Hotline phone number you could give out to someone who asked for your number. When the other person would try to call you, they would hear, “Welcome to the Rejection Hotline. You’ve been rejected! The person who gave this to you didn’t want you to have their real number.” It goes on to give some excuses why they might have given that number to you. After that, it says, “Please take the hint, accept that you were rejected and get over it.” It’s comical unless you’re the person on the receiving end. None of us like to be or feel rejected. Being rejected usually stirs up anger, fear and insecurity in us, but it doesn’t have to.
In the book of Samuel, the people of Israel didn’t like Samuel’s sons, nor did they want them as judges over Israel. They went to Samuel and said, “Look, you are getting old and your sons don’t follow your example. So then, appoint a king to rule over us, so that we will have a king, as other countries have” (1 Samuel 8:5 GNT). The Lord encouraged Samuel by reminding him that they were rejecting God rather than him, but I’m sure he felt like it wasn’t that way. God then told him to warn them what having a king would be like and then give them what they wanted.
After he anointed Saul as king, Samuel didn’t go into hiding. Instead he continued to serve them. 1 Samuel 12:23 says, “As for me, the Lord forbid that I should sin against him by no longer praying for you. Instead, I will teach you what is good and right for you to do.” He didn’t go away and let them wander away from God. He continued to pray for them and to help them do what was right. In like 6:28, Jesus said, “When someone curses you, bless that person in return. When you are mistreated and harassed by others, accept it as your mission to pray for them” (TPT). If nothing else, the next time you feel rejected, pray for that person. Chances are they’re not rejecting you, but rather the Spirit of God in you.
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 