Responding to Rejection

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” Psalm 27:10

I am returning to some of my favorite verses right now to find encouragement and refreshment from the Lord. Psalm 27:10 has lifted my spirits numerous times during some of the most challenging seasons in my adult life. And why shouldn’t it? This verse was written by someone who was also facing an extremely difficult circumstance.

When King David wrote Psalm 27, some Bible students think he was fleeing from his son, Absalom (cf. 2 Samuel 15:1-37; 17:15-29). 1 Imagine having to run for your life to avoid being killed by your own rebellious adult child? This may have been David’s challenge when he wrote this Psalm.

Instead of choosing to respond with fear, David chose to respond with faith in the One Who is the source of his hope (“light”), deliverance (“salvation”), and “strength” (Psalm 27:1). Notice the personal pronoun “my” in this verse. The Lord was not just “a” source of hope and deliverance to David. He was HIS source of hope and deliverance. David’s relationship with God was personal and dynamic.

It is possible David was not getting the help he needed at this time, even from those closest to him. But David’s trust was in the Lord to take care of him. “When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me” (Psalm 27:10). The Hebrew word translated “take care of” (asaph) means “to gather or remove.” In this context it refers to gathering an individual into the company of another – which in this case would be the Lord. Even if his parents abandoned him, David was confident God still loved him and valued him.

Notice that David said, “When…”, not “if…” If you were fatherless or motherless growing up, you can easily relate to this verse. If you were brought up in a broken or abusive home, and were physically or emotionally abandoned, you can also easily identify with this verse. There is no doubt that you were forsaken. However, it may be much more difficult for you to relate to this verse if you grew up in a “normal family” with “loving parents.” But even in those cases, your parents were not perfect. All of us had imperfect parents to some degree who were not able to love us unconditionally twenty-four hours a day. Many people grew up in homes where love was given on the bases of performance and achievements. You may have felt rejected because you failed to live up to your parent’s expectations.

No matter how greatly we have experienced rejection from those closest to us, God wants to fill in the gap. Yes, others have rejected us, but God never will after we believe in Jesus (John 6:37; Hebrews 13:5).

God saw us as a child and He loved us then, and He sees us and loves us now. God wants to take care of us and bring healing to our souls. Because God loves us and sees our worth, we no longer need to work so hard for the approval and love of others. Since God keeps us safe and secure, we no longer need to try so hard to protect ourselves. We can present out true selves to the Lord and to others.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding us that we are not alone and unloved. We are loved and cherished by the God of the universe. Please massage this truth down into the depths of our souls. And although those closest to us may have failed to love and protect us as we needed as a child, You have never failed us. Because You always see us and value us as persons, we no longer need to work so hard to gain the approval and love of others. Nor do we need to work so hard to protect ourselves or hide our vulnerabilities because You will take care of us and meet our deepest needs. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your unlimited love and care for us. In Your mighty name we pray. Amen.

ENDNOTES:

1. Tom Constable, Notes on Psalms, 2015 Edition, pg. 79.