I have yet to meet someone who enjoys the feeling of being rejected. Of being told, “Thanks, but you’re just not good enough.” But it’s something that all of us feel at one time or another, not that we’re likely to admit it. Like a pile of crumbs, we brush it under the rug.

In the “No” Pile

When the person you love jilts you, when your dream employer passes over you, when former best-friends tell you there’s no room for you in their lives anymore—what else can you possibly feel besides heartbreak and insecurity?   

As the rejections keep piling on—as people continue to place you in their “no” piles—it’s hard not to feel rejected by God, too. You start thinking, God, why does this keep happening to me? You might ask, Lord, do you even care?

You are not alone.

Learning How to Lament

King David felt rejected by God too. He cried out to the Lord when he was overwhelmed with dread. He brought his pain and worry to God, and he wrote it all down in the Psalms. We can pray through these Psalms and bring out heartache to God, just like David did.

Do you want to tell God how you feel today? Take a moment to find a quiet place and read through these Psalms. As you read them, make them a prayer to God. Allow yourself to feel what you feel. The Lord invites you to bring your worries and sorrow to him (Matthew 11:28-30).

1. Listen to my words, O Lord,
     and hear my sighs.
   Listen to my cry for help,
     my God and king!
   I pray to you, O Lord;
     you hear my voice in the morning;
   at sunrise I offer my prayer
     and wait for your answer.—Psalm 5:1-3, (GNTD)
2. I have so many enemies, Lord,
     so many who turn against me!
   They talk about me and say,
     “God will not help him.”
   But you, O Lord, are always my shield from danger;
     you give me victory
     and restore my courage.
   I call to the Lord for help,
     and from his sacred hill he answers me.—Psalm 3:1-4 (GNTD)
3. I call to the Lord for help;
     I plead with him.
   I bring him all my complaints;
     I tell him all my troubles.
   When I am ready to give up,
     he knows what I should do….
   When I look beside me,
     I see that there is no one to help me,
     no one to protect me.
   No one cares for me.
   Lord, I cry to you for help;
     you, Lord, are my protector;
     you are all I want in this life.
   Listen to my cry for help,
     for I am sunk in despair….
   Set me free from my distress;
     then in the assembly of your people I will praise you
     because of your goodness to me. — Psalm 142:1-7 (GNTD)