REJECTION IS GOD'S REDIRECTION. (HOW TO KNOW)

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Have you been experiencing rejection in your life? Has your life been full of more nos than yes’s that you felt some type of way? Maybe you have been eyeing a specific career, but every time you try to take a step of faith, you get a punch in your gut through experiencing rejection. If this is you, then I would like to invite you to join me as we tackle today’s topic: How to know if rejection is God’s redirection.

But first, let’s look at the definition of God’s redirection.
1 Samuel 27
- Continuation…
1 Samuel 29

Application: How rejection can be God’s redirection.
- How God protected David by allowing King Saul to reject him.
3 keys that will help you know whether the rejection is God’s redirection.
Conclusion.

But first, let’s look at the definition of God’s redirection.

Simply put, divine redirection is when God reroutes you from a path you were on and onto the path He had for you to begin with. Sometimes redirection could look like God protecting you from what would have been a catastrophic mistake and getting you on a safe path. Redirection oftentimes will not look like God is redirecting you. In fact, often it will look like pain, at the moment and you will not understand until you get to the other side of the pain and frustration.

Unique Characteristics for when God redirects you

Now that we know what God’s redirection is let us look at how rejection can be God’s redirection. And to help us let us look at scripture by looking at the story of David. This story starts in 1 Samuel 27. Because God had rejected Saul as king and chosen David, Saul was jealous of David and he would often look for opportunities to kill him. Fortunately, God was on David’s side and so every time Saul tried to ambush David, David would get wind of it. In several instances, it was through Jonathan- Saul’s son who loved David like a brother. Other times it would be God who fought for him. In one instance he made the army sent by Saul to receive the spirit of prophecy when Saul had sent them to capture him.

Fast forward to 1 Samuel 27, David hid in the camp of the Philistines so that Saul could stop looking for him once and for all.

1 Samuel 27

David said to himself, “One of these days Saul will kill me. The best thing for me to do is to escape to Philistia. Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel, and I will be safe.” ²So David and his six hundred men went over at once to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³David and his men settled there in Gath with their families. David had his two wives with him, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal’s widow, from Carmel. ⁴When Saul heard David had fled to Gath, he gave up trying to find him.

⁵David said to Achish, “If you are my friend, let me have a small town to live in. There is no need, sir, for me to live with you in the capital city.” ⁶So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag, and for this reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. ⁷David lived in Philistia for sixteen months.

During this time, David would still go to battle to defeat these other nations and win. He however would lie to Achish and tell him he had gone to fight the tribe of Judah and this would impress Achish the king of Gath.

Continuation…

8 During that time David and his men would attack the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek, who had been living in the region a very long time. He would raid their land as far as Shur, all the way down to Egypt, 9 killing all the men and women and taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and even the clothes. Then he would come back to Achish,

¹⁰who would ask him, “Where did you go on a raid this time?” and David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah or to the territory of the clan of Jerahmeel or to the territory where the Kenites lived. ¹¹David would kill everyone, men and women, so that no one could go back to Gath and report what he and his men had really done. This is what David did the whole time he lived in Philistia. ¹²But Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He is hated so much by his own people the Israelites that he will have to serve me all his life.”

WHAT TO DO WHEN GOD REDIRECTS YOU!

Now in chapter 28, it came a time when David’s allegiance would be tested. Would he forfeit God’s promise of becoming king by fighting his people, or would he choose his community and reject Achish who had been kind to him? Fortunately for him, God decided for David by allowing the Philistines to reject David’s proposal to fight for them. Let’s take a look at the scripture.

1 Samuel 29

29 The Philistines brought all their troops together at Aphek, while the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel Valley. ²The five Philistine kings marched out with their units of a hundred and of a thousand men; David and his men marched in the rear with King Achish. ³The Philistine commanders saw them and asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish answered, “This is David, an official of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me for quite some time now. He has done nothing I can find fault with since the day he came over to me.”

⁴But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said to him, “Send that fellow back to the town you gave him. Don’t let him go into battle with us; he might turn against us during the fighting. What better way is there for him to win back his master’s favor than by the death of our men? ⁵After all, this is David, the one about whom the women sang, as they danced, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’”

⁶Achish called David and said to him, “I swear by the living God of Israel that you have been loyal to me; and I would be pleased to have you go with me and fight in this battle. I have not found any fault in you from the day you came over to me. But the other kings don’t approve of you. ⁷So go back home in peace, and don’t do anything that would displease them.”

⁸David answered, “What have I done wrong, sir? If, as you say, you haven’t found any fault in me since the day I started serving you, why shouldn’t I go with you, my master and king, and fight your enemies?”

⁹“I agree,” Achish replied. “I consider you as loyal as an angel of God. But the other kings have said that you can’t go with us into battle. ¹⁰So then, David, tomorrow morning all of you who left Saul and came over to me will have to get up early and leave as soon as it’s light.”

¹¹So David and his men started out early the following morning to go back to Philistia, and the Philistines went on to Jezreel.

Application: How rejection can be God’s redirection.

Looking at these scriptures we see that God was protecting David all along. Not only did God protect him by having Saul reject him. But God protected David by having the Philistines reject him.

How God protected David by allowing King Saul to reject him.

The first reason is that Saul made David the officer of the army when he defeated Goliath. This meant that he would always go to battle whenever there was an attack against them. Considering that Saul and his sons all died in battle, who knows what would have happened to David had Saul not rejected him? Of course, I am not discounting the fact that God is Sovereign and his word does not go back to Him void. What I am trying to do is to show you instances where God protected him by allowing Saul to reject him. So through rejection, David’s life was preserved. That was why he was in Philistia, to begin with.

The second reason is that had David fought for the Philistines, his people would have viewed him as an enemy, whether they won or lost. And let’s not forget that that was the same battle where King Saul and his sons died in. Who would have believed that David was innocent, seeing that his greatest enemy was dead? Of course, at the time David might have felt rejected, but as we now see in hindsight, it was all part of God’s plan and redirection.

The third reason is that David’s being rejected by his family led to him relying on God which strengthened his walk with God. It makes sense now why God called David a man after his own heart. David always sought God and did what he told him. He never acted on impulse rather he would consult God on whether it was okay for him to attack his enemies or retreat.

In all these three instances where David faced rejection, we see it was God’s redirection. How then can you apply this in your own life?

3 keys that will help you know whether the rejection is God’s redirection.

Rejection will be God’s redirection when it leads to a glorious end.

In David’s case, he always came out better after rejection, whether it was through his deep intimacy with God or his preservation of both life and his destiny. The same thing will be said of you. When God allows rejection in your life, it will lead you to better path than the one you were on. Let me ask you this, has there been a time when in hindsight you thanked God for allowing the reaction to happen? Whether it was a career opportunity that went sour or a relationship that did not work out. God will sometimes protect us by allowing rejection.

At the moment, it will hurt and almost feel like God is punishing you. But when you hold on amidst the confusion, you realize God was for you all along. David must have felt unlucky when he was experiencing rejection. He might have even thought God had abandoned him. But when it was all said and done, David realized God’s hand was upon him the entire time.

I know the rejection hurts, and I can relate. But I also want you to know that God’s future for you will always be better than your past. God would never allow your best opportunity to bypass you. So the fact that you lost that opportunity by experiencing rejection is a sign that God has better for you.

Rejection is God’s redirection if you experience transformation.

The Bible tells us that God works everything out for our good. And He will sometimes use rejection to humble you. We all know God hates the proud, but honors the humble. So how will God work with you when you are proud? Every time rejection leads to your transformation just know that it came from God. And with that, the rejection becomes God’s redirection because of the transformation.

God wants you to reflect Christ more and more. And with every level He brings you, He wants people to experience His Glory. How then will they experience it when you are full of yourself? Could it be the rejection is God’s redirection because God is refining you? God will withhold no good thing from you. At the same time, He will not give you what you are not ready for because He cares about your soul and heart more.

Rejection is God’s redirection if it reveals God.

Ultimately, God wants to reveal His glory to humanity. And He does so by partnering with His creation. Whenever you experience rejection, God will always redirect you so that He can reveal His power. After all, He reminds us in His word that it is in our weakness that His strength is revealed. Today I want you to shift your perspective. Could it be that God wanted you to get to the end of yourself to reveal His power? Could the rejection be God’s way of teaching you to rely on Him?

When you experience rejection, it does not feel pretty. But your response to rejection can draw people to God even more. And again what God will give you on the other side of the rejection will make it all worth it.

Conclusion.

Rejection is God’s redirection. God will disrupt your present to get you to your future. Today I want to encourage you to lean on God in the midst of the rejection. Don’t run away from Him. He is always near to the broken-hearted. Ask Him to show you what He is doing in you through the rejection. When you can’t see what God is doing, don’t worry. He is working on you. And when you come out, you will have been refined and therefore you will become His best vessel yet.

David’s relationship with God did not grow because everything went well for him. It was in the valley that his relationship with God was established. And that was why he was successful in his reign. And also that was why he could fully rely on God and not move until God gave him the go-ahead. Your rejection is a sign that God’s hand is upon you. It might not make sense to you now. But I promise in time it will all come together. Check out my other blog post on what to do when God redirects you to learn more about God’s redirection.

REJECTION IS GOD’S REDIRECTION. (HOW TO KNOW)