The email stung. Magazine editors had rejected my devotional writing submission. I had put a lot of time and thought into that piece; I believed in my words. I tried to imagine the editors’ viewpoint and to sense the challenging decisions they make each day reading endless similar submissions.

Some days I grow weary in my writing. I think, ‘Why should I continue?’ But then I remind myself of the verse quoted above. Giving up is a sign of my unwillingness to be led by the Lord. Perhaps God is stirring me with these words from Isaiah 28:16: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic’. 

While rejection might fracture my trust in the cornerstone, failure provides an opportunity to learn. On those disappointing days when rejection challenges us, we don’t have to panic. Instead, we can trust in God’s sure foundation where we find the strength of the Lord ready to push us beyond the sting of rejection.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when we encounter the frustration of rejection, help us to return to your sure foundation. As Jesus taught us, we pray, ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ Amen