I struggle with feelings of rejection. It isn’t so much that I am rejected as I feel rejected. I feel rejected when a piece I write isn’t up to par and I get a critical email about it. I feel rejected when I make a B in my PhD class rather than an A. I obviously did something wrong, I tell myself. There are many other situations in which I feel rejected. 

But should these events frame how I feel about myself? Are grades or affirmations about my work really the bar I should be trying to reach?

One morning recently I prayed, “God, I know you don’t reject me, please fill me with joy and love and peace.” But I still felt awful about myself. As I was reading my Bible, I scoured the pages for anything about rejection. Every time I found a verse about rejection, I highlighted it.

And you know what? I found some treasures that I want to share with you. I hope they bless you like they blessed me.

What God Thinks of Us

Here’s how I know what God thinks of me — of us.

My new favorite verse is Psalms 46:4-5: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” Incidentally, verse 4 is The Stream’s foundational verse as well. This passage affirms to us: We are children of God. He is within us. We cannot fail with Him.

But there’s more!

God’s promised us directly that he won’t leave us. Hebrews 13:5 says: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you.'” That promise is found in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” He’s always with us. 

We make him happy. 1 Samuel 12:22: “For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.” He was pleased! When we became his child, he was pleased. He loves us so much.

And he doesn’t keep his love from us. Psalms 66:20 says, “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” His love is offered freely. He wants to hear us pray. He wants a relationship with us. How amazing!

God chose us. He chose us to be his children. He chose us to fulfill His will. “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you” (Isaiah 41:9). We are hand-picked to be his servants in the place where we are right now.

What does this tell us? The God of the universe, completely sovereign, is our ever-present help. We cannot fail with Him. God will never leave us. He is pleased to call us his own. He never keeps His love from us. He chose us specifically. He has not rejected us, even when we feel rejected.

God wants to have a relationship with us that transforms us and is above and beyond any relationship, event, or affirmation we have here.

Our value is in Him! And in Him, we are invaluable.