Title Image: Seeking God’s presence in the Light of His Truths. God’s Presence is Light that pierces the darkness of difficulties.
Seeking Joy In His Presence During Times of Rejection or Closure
This post is my personal thoughts and reflections as I move ahead in my spiritual journey growing from a feeling of rejection to a position of acceptance. Summary: When God ends ministry or other life opportunities then it’s an invitation to reconsider His Ways in relation to our perceived “calls”.
May these thoughts encourage you along your journey! We all face rejection and loss of opportunities in life. God transforms us in these difficulties. Quotes are from A.Z. Quotes, images created using Night Cafe Studio and Canva Pro, scripture passages from Berean Standard Bible online at bible hub.
May His Gospel Light and Truth shine upon on you as you reflect on your journey and serve others!
Faith is a journey
Reflection Questions:
Do we desire His presence more than a position of service? Daily meditation question. What am I seeking, why am I seeking? What is most important? How does this search relate to God’s Truths revealed in His Word?
“I want the presence of God Himself, or I don’t want anything at all to do with religion… I want all that God has or I don’t want any. . . Faith is not a conclusion you reach . . . it’s a journey you live.” A.W. Tozer
Are you walking along a journey or remaining in the same place in your spiritual walk?
I enjoy going to various natural areas near my home to hike, reflect, and pray about the issues of life that I face in my journey.
How is your journey coming along? Are you walking through a valley of rejection? The journey of faith includes seasons of discouragement, disappointment, and rejection. I write about these topics from a faith perspective or “calling”. Ministry rejection is common. Men who have families experience ministry rejection too!
Questioning the Call
Is it possible that God hasn’t called me to a particular role for this season of life or in the capacity that I “feel”? Are we careful to discern God’s call and then accept what He graciously reveals to us? What does it mean to be called? How does this calling come about into our daily life?
Example: David’s Journey
May the Light of His Truth and the Presence of His Holy Spirit encourage your path. His Light shines down into our valleys.
David reflects on a difficult season in his life; Psalm 31 verses 1-5 emphasis mine
1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
save me by Your righteousness.
2Incline Your ear to me;
come quickly to my rescue.
Be my rock of refuge,
the stronghold of my deliverance.
3For You are my rock and my fortress;
lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.
4You free me from the net laid out for me,
for You are my refuge.
5Into Your hands I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
Is God your refuge, your safe place? Is He a tower of refuge and restoration? Have you committed your spirit to Him? Consider that Jesus speaks aloud Psalm 31:5 (Luke 23:46) with His last breath before He dies.
Lean in Toward Him
David encourages us in Psalm 32:11
11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones;
shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
David’s Difficult Journey
1 Samuel chronicles the difficulties David faces in his journey. Saul’s jealousy first emerges in chapter 18. Here’s a quick overview:
Anointing: Chapter 16
Fighting for God’s glory against Goliath: Chapter 17
Saul’s Love Trap, Michal: Chapter 18
Saul’s attempt on David’s life: Chapter 19
Fleeing to Gath: Chapter 21
It seems as though things get worse with each chapter! Jealousy, murder through military activity to marry his love, etc. David faces deep discouragement, anxiety, and betrayal. One of the bright spots in this tragic account is his friendship with Johnathan.
The blessing of friendship. Johnathan and David encourage each other through commitment.
The Role of Friends in Our Journey
1 Samuel 20 is one of the great examples of biblical friendship! Bible Study tools has a great topical study on this particular friendship. Do you have others who are supporting, encouraging, and assisting you with accountability? God provides Johnathan’s friendship to David!
David faces numerous challenges and difficult valleys in his spiritual journey to becoming king. His faith and dependence on God in his difficult times strengthens his character. Do we focus on the goal more than the journey? It’s the journey that shapes and molds us!
We are glad and rejoice in Him! He is the One who makes us righteous and upright as He works in our lives! Our lives are about Him and His purpose(s) more than a particular title, role, or opportunity. Rejection and failure are an invitation to reconsider our purpose or calling. Friends, mentors help us to remain focused on the journey and strengthen us in our moments of need.
Finding peace in His presence. His presence is available for those seeking!
Seeking Him First-Coming to End of Ourselves
Moving toward Acceptance
“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us. ”
― A. W. Tozer
We rejoice and seek peace and joy in Christ when others reject or choose others over us! Acceptance is a process of recognizing that we don’t have power to change how others view us in regards to their own prejudices. Jesus was rejected by His own people (John 1). The biblical example of those who follow God and Christ is that of rejection and being ignored. Consider Paul’s experiences on his missionary journeys: the opposition, beatings, etc.
Jesus’ Experience
If God’s chosen people in the first century ignored God’s Son (even with the numerous signs and miracles witnessed) and the “religious” experts attributed His power to Satan, then why would we believe that the religious people of today would behave differently? Religious people rebel against God and reject those who seek to serve Him especially when a person doesn’t fit their expectations. That’s the issue with being “religious” instead of being Christ-like. Those who follow Christ seek to be like Him and order their lives in accordance with His Truth!
Discernment & Personal Desires
Are we missing God’s vocational “calling” trying to do something that we want to do? God invites us to freedom in His Truth. Seeking Him first, prioritizing honoring Him, and healing from past wounds brings clarity to the confusion that arises in our lives. Discernment is a process wherein we examine ourselves through the lens of God’s Word! Our experiences and areas of immaturity “cloud” our perceptions of self and the journey.
Praise God for the moments of insight and hope He graciously provides during our mountain top moments in the journey. Good memories of His presence and previous works in our lives sustain us during the lonely, difficult valley seasons.
Prayer for those Facing Rejection
Ultimately our calling is to follow Christ and seek to be transformed in His likeness. Our calling is to pursue Christ. Tozer gives us an example of this desire in his prayer. Italic questions are mine.
A.W. Tozer:
“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace.
Are we satisfied while thirsting for more of His presence and grace?
I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Do we long to thirst and hunger for God? Does our lives reflect a desperate need for God’s presence, guidance, and holiness?
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Do we long for His glorious presence to know and love Him better? Do we invite Him to begin a new work of love within our souls? When God ends a particular journey, He is inviting us to take a different road.
Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.”
God empowers us to follow Him as we turn away from chasing the vain glory and things of the world!
Words of Grace & Hope 