Abandoned, Betrayed, Left out?

Do you know a woman whose co-workers exclude her? Or you observe her adversaries snickering behind her back? You suspect she might be lonely, and you think you heard her cry in the bathroom when she thought she was alone.

Gossip flies through the office like bees swarming from a hive. Are the stories truth or falsehood? Doesn’t matter. She’s already been judged. She is ignored and not invited to join the group.

She has done something bad, or said something wrong, or hasn’t lived up to others’ expectations. Or maybe she’s done none of those things. She’s just fallen victim to vicious lies.

Perhaps you’re that woman.

She, or you, wouldn’t be the first. King David wrote in many of the psalms that his best friends didn’t want to be seen with him anymore. No wonder David cried out that his bones hurt, his eyes were weary, and his strength was gone. His pain was made worse because he was alone, rejected, and dismissed. He felt betrayed. David did the only thing he knew to do — and it’s the very best thing. He poured out his heart to God and then settled into his safe place; he took refuge in the Lord.

In his time of immense suffering, David made God his best friend. And we can too. After all, Jesus was betrayed by Judas (Luke 22:1-6), so He knows first hand how we feel. When we feel the pain of abandonment, betrayal, gossip, or fabrications, let’s take our pain to God. He tells us in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” Co-workers, friends, and even family, may abandon you. But Jesus never will.

Copyrighted. From “Shining Through the Psalms,” by Deborah Presnell, 2018. Available on Amazon.