The Heartache Of Betrayal

"Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide yourself from my supplication. ...because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is severely pained within me..." Psalm 55:1, 3, 4 Rejection is an extremely painful thing to endure. Many times, the one rejected has reached out to the one rejecting him, seeking to please him/her but all efforts fail because his heart is hardened against him, and there is no way to appease him no matter how hard one tries. Sometimes there is a lot at stake, for example if it's a spouse and the rejection will tear apart the whole family bringing trauma upon the children. Sometimes there is a great monetary involvement, with the rejection threatening to bring the rejected one to poverty. What the rejected endures can be so overwhelming that he/she wishes he could just disappear from the story. vs 6: "So I said, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.'" What does one do when he finds himself in such a situation, when grief is all he knows and there seems to be no end to it? The answer may sound simplistic, but no, it's profound: vs 22: "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He SHALL sustain you;" We do not belong to a God who is distant, one who is only interested in whether we are “good” and keep laws. Far from it. We belong to the God who is filled with compassion and mercy, the God who truly cares about us. Take your broken heart to him. He knows the story from start to finish, he knows the heartache you live with, and he cares deeply. When you bring your trauma to a counselor, the counselor can only offer you common sense, he can only steer you into positive thinking. He cannot change anything. But that's not so with God. He knows every detail of your story, he knows your weaknesses, he understands the pain in your heart. Leave your burden with him knowing that he will work ALL things together for your good (Romans 8:28). That's a promise if you belong to him. All things! But let him decide what your "good" is, as a wise and trustworthy Father. Let him decide if it's better to fix the situation, or to move upon the heart of the one who is rejecting you, OR - whether it's better to remove that person from your life. Furthermore, keep in mind that instead of changing the circumstance, he may choose to enable you to walk through it. He may mean to change YOUR heart, to strengthen YOU, to give YOU a whole new perspective through your story. You must let him decide. "... you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." 1st Peter 1:6-7 The world places much value on gold, but the Lord says that the trial of your faith is MUCH MORE precious. It points you to the endgame, the goal, the day you stand before God and find out that it worked something awesome in you, something far more precious than any gem or treasure, something that will result in joy and honor, FOREVER. Surrender before your God and surrender to him all the facets of your story so that he may work it out - not as an earthly counselor who will only try to lead you into positive thinking and "self esteem," but that your Lord, your Father in heaven, may bring the very best out of this story, something of great value that no counselor on earth could ever approach, something that you will praise your God for - for all eternity. He knows best, and you can TRUST HIS GREAT LOVE FOR YOU.