How to Trust the Lord When Your Life Falls Apart 預覽

God Does Not Reject You

This devotional is provided by Jonathan Almonte, a Compassion International program alumnus from the Dominican Republic.

I spent most of my childhood walking barefoot. My shoes had holes, so I often felt the sun fall on my feet and the rainwater flow between my toes.

I needed to go to school but didn't have a uniform. So a friend lent me his. I went to school in the morning and then quickly returned it so he could attend in the afternoon.

Amidst these personal difficulties, my family also struggled. We were surviving on only two or three dollars each day. Our meals consisted of a piece of bread, boiled water and chocolate if we could get it. How can you sustain a full life with just that?

My mother understood the importance of education, so she applied for me to study music at a local art institute. But after a short spell, they expelled me. We then applied to a literature program, and they dismissed me.

I felt rejected, forgotten and hopeless. I was dealing with worryingly low levels of self-esteem. It felt like the whole world kept repeating to me, “You are weak; you are poor; you have no opportunities.”

We continued applying, and I was finally accepted into a small church in my community. They worked with impoverished children with the support of a ministry called Compassion. There, I not only received an education, but I also received food, shoes for my bare feet and a uniform for school. I was taken care of.

Although I had felt rejected through poverty, God had a plan of provision and care for my life. In Psalms, we read: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”(Psalms 139:16, NIV).

God ordained your days before your birth. And while we can’t always control our circumstances, God controls everything. We have been formed in the hands of an amazing and wonderful Lord.

Our days are written in the book of God, and circumstances, good and bad, never escape God’s control. In Jeremiah, his Word says that his plans are to prosper you and to give you a future and hope.

He doesn’t reject you—he knows you, loves you and protects you.

Scripture: Psalms 139:13-16, Jeremiah 29:11