“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in His way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any way wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 37:7-9 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3
Today’s daily devotional
“Can you believe that girl John brought to the reunion? What is he doing with her?” I overhear two women relish in my imperfections between themselves. They are in separate bathroom stalls talking loudly to each other in the ladies room.
The daggers of their conversation sunk deep into my tender heart as I stood and waited for one of them to free a stall. If I had not needed to use the facilities so desperately, I would have taken anything but the torture of hearing such derogatory comments about myself. But, in the small banquet hall there was no escape.
While they carelessly chuckled at my expense; I stood there completely frozen. By this point in my life, I should have been accustomed to it.
I wondered why God didn’t just make things easier for me. Why wasn’t my heart coated with a layer of Teflon so people wouldn’t keep burning me to a crisp?
When one of stall doors flung open, the edges of John’s former classmate’s mouth froze as her sentence hung lifeless in the air. She was busted and speechless. For a mouth that didn’t seem to understand the concept of restraint, the sudden presence of it made an abrupt impact in that tiny bathroom. While she grasped her senses and circumstance, I watched her robust cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson.
Attempting to scoot past me, she tucked her large body in as little space as it would take up. I forged toward the vacant stall, trying my best to keep my head held high, as my heart sunk to a whole new low.
Her friend was waiting in her stall, quite aware of the uncomfortable silence.
Pressing my back against the door, I clenched my aching stomach until I could hear the suction of the door closing. It was a good ten minutes before I felt like I had regained my composure.
With all the courage I could muster, I walked out of that restroom and faced the sea of people who didn’t know me, but certainly had plenty of strong opinions about me.
As I bit my tongue, the verses of Ps. 37:7-9 clung to my broken heart. There was nothing a person could do or say to take away the pain of continual rejection throughout a lifetime. Retaliation would never be the answer, as it would only bring about more evil. I could see that. The cycle of pain must end and it can only happen when a child of God decides to let it go—gives it completely to God. Only He can heal what man can never heal.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
There is a hole in my heart. I know that this is a void can only be filled by you. The pain and the emptiness from people in every area of my life have caused me to look at the world through a bitter lens.
I know I am not seeing properly or loving others properly because of this damage.
I want to be healed. I am ready to give up all my anger. I have been angry at you, the people who have hurt me and myself for not knowing how to handle this pain correctly.
Lord, help me to understand the life lessons I can learn from this pain. Show me how to stop this cycle, so I can add in a positive way to the world around me. Give me the ability to take my pain, and help other hurting people with it. In Jesus’ name, it is because that is what He did, lived and died for, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional on: Psalm 37:7-9 and Isaiah 53:3
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan