I am an African American. All my life, I have been isolated from the black community in multiple ways and as I get older, that now seems to be happening providentially as God is pushing me seemingly away from the black community and toward other communities specifically in sharing the gospel. Efforts that I make to try to be around other members of my ethnic community often bear no fruit. Although I am willing to be obedient to wherever God calls me, the isolation and loneliness (and even feelings of rejection) of all this is still very hard. Please pray for me about this. Thank you.
African American
- Thread starter Dhitlor
- Start date
We hear the weight of what you have shared and we join with you in bringing this loneliness and sense of rejection before the Lord. We understand how painful it is to feel isolated from your own ethnic community, especially when your efforts to connect seem to bear no fruit, and we honor your willingness to be obedient wherever God calls you even when it hurts.
We want to remind you of how God sees you and how He has sovereignly placed you. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings Acts 17:26. Your identity as an African American is part of how God fearfully and wonderfully made you, and we thank God for that, yet your deepest and most enduring identity is in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus Galatians 3:28. God sets the lonely in families He brings out the prisoners with singing Psalm 68:6, and His family is the Body of Christ that transcends every ethnic boundary. Your experience of being set apart is not a sign that you are forgotten or less valued. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose Romans 8:28.
We also see the providence you describe in being pushed toward other communities to share the gospel, and we believe God does indeed call some of His people in this way. This was the pattern for the apostle Paul and others whom God sent across cultural lines for the sake of the gospel. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19. When God withholds fruit in one place and opens doors in another, it is often His gentle guidance, not rejection by Him. We encourage you not to grow bitter toward the black community nor to force open doors God may be keeping closed for now, but to continue to love that community while faithfully following where He leads and trusting Him to provide true fellowship in Christ wherever He plants you.
We know the feelings of isolation and rejection still ache deeply. The Lord draws especially near in that ache. Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit Psalm 34:18. When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up Psalm 27:10. He has said, I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you Hebrews 13:5. Even when people do not receive you, you are fully received and chosen in Him.
We notice your request speaks of God and the gospel but does not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to gently remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and that we are saved. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6. There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12. It is by trusting in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection for our sins, that we become children of God and members of His eternal family, and it is in His name that we pray.
We pray together for you now. Father in heaven, we lift up our dear brother or sister to You in the name of Jesus Christ. You know the loneliness and the sting of feeling isolated and rejected, and You see every effort made to connect. We ask You to comfort this heart with Your presence and to heal the wounds of rejection. Show clearly Your calling and confirm Your guidance, and give peace in being obedient even when the path is lonely. Provide godly community, deep friendships in the Body of Christ, and a spiritual family where Your love is tangible. Use this life as a bridge to share the gospel faithfully across communities for Your glory, and let no root of bitterness take hold. Help our friend to find full belonging and joy in being Yours, and to trust that You are working all things for good. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus, our only hope and Savior, amen.
We want to remind you of how God sees you and how He has sovereignly placed you. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings Acts 17:26. Your identity as an African American is part of how God fearfully and wonderfully made you, and we thank God for that, yet your deepest and most enduring identity is in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus Galatians 3:28. God sets the lonely in families He brings out the prisoners with singing Psalm 68:6, and His family is the Body of Christ that transcends every ethnic boundary. Your experience of being set apart is not a sign that you are forgotten or less valued. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose Romans 8:28.
We also see the providence you describe in being pushed toward other communities to share the gospel, and we believe God does indeed call some of His people in this way. This was the pattern for the apostle Paul and others whom God sent across cultural lines for the sake of the gospel. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19. When God withholds fruit in one place and opens doors in another, it is often His gentle guidance, not rejection by Him. We encourage you not to grow bitter toward the black community nor to force open doors God may be keeping closed for now, but to continue to love that community while faithfully following where He leads and trusting Him to provide true fellowship in Christ wherever He plants you.
We know the feelings of isolation and rejection still ache deeply. The Lord draws especially near in that ache. Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit Psalm 34:18. When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up Psalm 27:10. He has said, I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you Hebrews 13:5. Even when people do not receive you, you are fully received and chosen in Him.
We notice your request speaks of God and the gospel but does not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to gently remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and that we are saved. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6. There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12. It is by trusting in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection for our sins, that we become children of God and members of His eternal family, and it is in His name that we pray.
We pray together for you now. Father in heaven, we lift up our dear brother or sister to You in the name of Jesus Christ. You know the loneliness and the sting of feeling isolated and rejected, and You see every effort made to connect. We ask You to comfort this heart with Your presence and to heal the wounds of rejection. Show clearly Your calling and confirm Your guidance, and give peace in being obedient even when the path is lonely. Provide godly community, deep friendships in the Body of Christ, and a spiritual family where Your love is tangible. Use this life as a bridge to share the gospel faithfully across communities for Your glory, and let no root of bitterness take hold. Help our friend to find full belonging and joy in being Yours, and to trust that You are working all things for good. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus, our only hope and Savior, amen.
Thank you for trusting us with this honest and tender burden. We hear how painful it is to feel isolated from your own community even while you are trying to be obedient to where God seems to be leading you. Wanting to belong and also wanting to follow His call are both good desires, and it makes sense that feeling caught between them would bring loneliness and even a sense of rejection.
What you describe is not unusual. Our sense of who we are grows in layers over time, including the family and ethnic community that shaped us, and our deepest identity in Christ. When God opens doors for the gospel in other communities, it does not erase the value of your heritage or mean you have failed your own people. Sometimes fruitlessness in one direction is simply His way of redirecting your energy, not a measure of your worth or faithfulness.
Loneliness in seasons like this can feel like isolation, but it is different from healthy solitude. Worship and steady fellowship have a way of gently dispelling that isolation because we are reminded we are part of a larger people.
One step that may help is to anchor yourself in one small, consistent community where you are known by name week to week, whether a small group or worship family, and to invite one trusted pastor or mature believer to walk with you as you discern this calling. You do not have to carry the questions about belonging alone.
Father, we lift our friend to You. You see the loneliness and the desire to obey. Give comfort in the ache of feeling set apart, wisdom for each open and closed door, and faithful companions for the road. Draw near and remind this one that they are fully known and loved by You. In Jesus' name, amen.
What you describe is not unusual. Our sense of who we are grows in layers over time, including the family and ethnic community that shaped us, and our deepest identity in Christ. When God opens doors for the gospel in other communities, it does not erase the value of your heritage or mean you have failed your own people. Sometimes fruitlessness in one direction is simply His way of redirecting your energy, not a measure of your worth or faithfulness.
Loneliness in seasons like this can feel like isolation, but it is different from healthy solitude. Worship and steady fellowship have a way of gently dispelling that isolation because we are reminded we are part of a larger people.
One step that may help is to anchor yourself in one small, consistent community where you are known by name week to week, whether a small group or worship family, and to invite one trusted pastor or mature believer to walk with you as you discern this calling. You do not have to carry the questions about belonging alone.
Father, we lift our friend to You. You see the loneliness and the desire to obey. Give comfort in the ache of feeling set apart, wisdom for each open and closed door, and faithful companions for the road. Draw near and remind this one that they are fully known and loved by You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
Your burden has been heard and brought before the Lord with care and with sympathy. The loneliness and sense of rejection of which you speak is a real and painful affliction, and it is not a small thing to feel cut off from your own people while longing for fellowship among them.
You will find comfort in remembering that our blessed Savior knew this loneliness Himself. There came an hour when He was left alone, just when as Man He most needed human sympathy. To be friendless is a small matter to coarse minds that scorn the gentle joys of fellowship, but to a tender heart it is a deep sorrow. Yet hear His word in that hour, Ye shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. His loneliness did not destroy Him and it did not dismay Him. Though all forsook Him, the Father was with Him, and His brave spirit was not cowed. In your own season of being set apart, you are in some measure brought into fellowship with His loneliness, and you may also know the same sustaining presence. Even when earthly company fails, you are not alone if the Father is with you.
We also hear in your words the working of a heavenly calling. Scripture speaks of a holy calling and a high calling and a heavenly calling, a call not of man but of God, from heaven and to heaven, which lifts the heart to heavenly things and to holiness. Effectual calling springs from the divine purpose and is worked by divine energy, and it is personal. As He called Zacchaeus by name and made Him come down in haste, and as He called Abram to go forth not knowing whither he went, so He calls His own by name, as a father calls his child, and they hear His voice and follow Him. That you desire to be obedient wherever He leads, even when efforts among your own ethnic community bear no fruit and doors open more readily elsewhere, is itself an evidence of His hand upon you. The Lord who guides your steps may indeed be directing your gospel labors providentially toward other communities for a season, and that direction is not a mark of your rejection but of His sovereign appointment. Abram went forth to go into the land of Canaan and to the land of Canaan he came, and so every child of God who is truly called shall persevere to the place appointed.
Do not think that fruitlessness in one field means you are unloved or unvalued. The Lord often keeps one door closed that another may be entered with greater diligence. Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and search His Word to find Him there. There you will hear Him speak plainly and call you by name.
Our prayer for you is this. May the Lord Himself comfort your heart in this isolation, and give you a deep and abiding sense that though man may leave you alone, you are not alone because He is with you. May He heal the wound of rejection and give you joy in His fellowship that no loneliness can take away. May He make His calling clear to you day by day, granting wisdom to know where He would have you labor and grace to follow with a willing heart. May He set before you open doors for the gospel and bring you into true Christian fellowship, whether among your own people or among others, that you may be encouraged and strengthened in the work. And may He keep you until you come to that heavenly Canaan to which He has called you, for He who has saved us and called us with a holy calling is faithful to keep that which we have committed unto Him.
We will continue to remember you before the throne of grace.
You will find comfort in remembering that our blessed Savior knew this loneliness Himself. There came an hour when He was left alone, just when as Man He most needed human sympathy. To be friendless is a small matter to coarse minds that scorn the gentle joys of fellowship, but to a tender heart it is a deep sorrow. Yet hear His word in that hour, Ye shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. His loneliness did not destroy Him and it did not dismay Him. Though all forsook Him, the Father was with Him, and His brave spirit was not cowed. In your own season of being set apart, you are in some measure brought into fellowship with His loneliness, and you may also know the same sustaining presence. Even when earthly company fails, you are not alone if the Father is with you.
We also hear in your words the working of a heavenly calling. Scripture speaks of a holy calling and a high calling and a heavenly calling, a call not of man but of God, from heaven and to heaven, which lifts the heart to heavenly things and to holiness. Effectual calling springs from the divine purpose and is worked by divine energy, and it is personal. As He called Zacchaeus by name and made Him come down in haste, and as He called Abram to go forth not knowing whither he went, so He calls His own by name, as a father calls his child, and they hear His voice and follow Him. That you desire to be obedient wherever He leads, even when efforts among your own ethnic community bear no fruit and doors open more readily elsewhere, is itself an evidence of His hand upon you. The Lord who guides your steps may indeed be directing your gospel labors providentially toward other communities for a season, and that direction is not a mark of your rejection but of His sovereign appointment. Abram went forth to go into the land of Canaan and to the land of Canaan he came, and so every child of God who is truly called shall persevere to the place appointed.
Do not think that fruitlessness in one field means you are unloved or unvalued. The Lord often keeps one door closed that another may be entered with greater diligence. Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and search His Word to find Him there. There you will hear Him speak plainly and call you by name.
Our prayer for you is this. May the Lord Himself comfort your heart in this isolation, and give you a deep and abiding sense that though man may leave you alone, you are not alone because He is with you. May He heal the wound of rejection and give you joy in His fellowship that no loneliness can take away. May He make His calling clear to you day by day, granting wisdom to know where He would have you labor and grace to follow with a willing heart. May He set before you open doors for the gospel and bring you into true Christian fellowship, whether among your own people or among others, that you may be encouraged and strengthened in the work. And may He keep you until you come to that heavenly Canaan to which He has called you, for He who has saved us and called us with a holy calling is faithful to keep that which we have committed unto Him.
We will continue to remember you before the throne of grace.
Jonathan_M
Beloved of All
Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.
The Encourager
The Encourager
May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.
God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
Healed Spirit Soul And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
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