God’s Heart for the Outcasts - The Crosswalk Devotional - March 24
God’s Heart for the Outcasts
By: Jennifer Slattery
Bible Reading:
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. - Psalm 147:2
I suspect most anyone who survived elementary and middle school resonate with today’s verse. We’ve probably all found ourselves on the outside of some social circle wishing for a way in. When I was in fifth grade, I somehow finagled a tentative connection with the in crowd but soon got pushed out. This was also the year my inability to care for my naturally curly hair earned me the nickname “fro” and I became the brunt of jokes made by some of my male classmates.
Feeling humiliated and alone, I began spending my recesses inside.
Have you been there? Such experiences prick at our needs for acceptance and belonging. This is why these types of wounds can cut so deeply.
It hurts even more to fear we’ve been rejected by God Himself. This was likely how the ancient Israelites living during the Babylonian captivity felt. After centuries of rebellion, the Lord’s persistent pleas that they return to Him, His warnings finally became reality. God honored His people’s desire for autonomy, lifted His protective hand, and allowed their enemies to invade their land.
Although He assured them that His love remained—unconditionally and eternally (Jer. 31:3; Isa. 43:1-4), they felt abandoned and forsaken. Rejected by the One their souls needed most and forced to live as foreigners in a pagan land.
But God hadn’t forgotten them. Through it all, He remained their faithful and attentive defender and provider. He even blessed them in their new land and encouraged them to enjoy their new lives in Babylon. Then, when it came time for their prophesied year of release, He fulfilled His promise recorded in Deuteronomy 30:3-4, which reads: “Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.”
During the period of Ezra and Nehemiah, He brought those who wanted to return home and enabled them to rebuild their city and restore their Temple, the center of their worship and their social life. The place in which they experienced a profound sense of belonging.
Intersecting Life & Faith:
While most of us will never find ourselves physically exiled, we’ve likely felt that way socially—and will again. In those instances, may we draw comfort from today’s verse and what it reveals regarding our Father’s heart. He sees every wound or injustice we suffer, and the insecurity rejection often exacerbates.
But He doesn’t just “witness” our pain; He does something about it—in His perfect timing. Perhaps He’ll use an unexpected greeting card, phone call, or text from a friend or family member to remind you of your inherent value, or will nudge someone in your faith community to sit with you in your sorrow so that you feel less alone. Maybe He’ll encourage you through a devotion you read online, podcast episode you listen to, a song on the radio, or a truth-packed sermon from your pastor. Or maybe He’ll make His presence tangible as He encases you in His love.
Regardless of how He addresses Your heartache, you can be sure of this: He excels at bringing His outcasts into environments that feel like home. If He can move a pagan Persian ruler named Cyrus to send his Jewish subjects back to Jerusalem—with abundant provisions and enable them to repair the city’s walls, the destroyed Temple, and homes, He can alleviate your pain and bring you figuratively home as well.
He restored what likely felt irreparable—because nothing is impossible for Him. More than that, in Christ, we always belong. Through faith, our Father felt pleased to adopt us as His beloved children and place us, irrevocably, in His global family, forever bound by the blood of His Son.
I understand this present reality doesn’t eradicate the pain we experience when others treat us poorly. But it does assure us that we’re never truly alone, nor are we destined for isolation. We’ll spend our eternity with Him and the rest of His followers, fully and forever accepted. As we wait for that glorious existence, we can trust Him to lead us to people who’ll accepted us as we are and help us heal from the wounds we experience in our sin-ravished, broken world.
Further Reading:
Ephesians 1:4-5
John 15:9-16
1 Peter 2:9-10
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/HenrikSorensen
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLou
She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!
Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
