A Prayer for Acceptance
By Vivian Bricker
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” - Ephesians 1:4-6
When I was in sixth grade, I desperately wanted to be accepted by my peers at my new school. Despite being bullied, my pre-teen mind still wanted to be accepted by them. There was a certain brand of coats that everyone had, which made me think that if I had one of these coats, they would accept me. This coat was very expensive and was not something my family could afford.
Even though I knew my family couldn’t afford it, I told my mother about this coat. Against all odds, my mother was able to purchase me this coat for my birthday. I was so happy because I thought I would finally be accepted by my peers, and they would like me. The day after my birthday, I walked into school with my new coat on, and everyone made fun of me. They called my coat a “counterfeit” and a “fake,” which led me to tears.
Despite doing everything possible, I was still rejected and seen as unacceptable. As an adult now, I understand that those kids would never accept me because they were mean. There wasn’t anything wrong with me, nor was I lacking anything, including a designer cost. Rather, the problem was them. If you have had something similar to this happen in your life, know you are not alone and know that there is nothing wrong with you. The problem is them.
Turning to the Bible, we see that we are beloved by God and we are chosen in Him (Ephesians 1:4-6). We are already accepted because of His everlasting, abounding, and unconditional love for us. All of the love God has for you will never end, nor will it become any less.
When we are feeling a lack of acceptance, we try to find acceptance in any way possible. As believers, we need to remember that our worth, value, and acceptance are in Jesus. Before the beginning of time, the Father has loved us and chosen us to be adopted as His children through Jesus. The Apostle Paul taught this truth to the Ephesians because he wanted to ensure they knew they were chosen before the creation of the world to be loved by Jesus and this is true for us in the modern day as well.
There are not only a few people chosen to be saved and loved by God. Everyone is predestined and chosen by God because He loves all of us. The Bible tells us that God desires everyone to come to know Him (1 Timothy 2:3-4). All are chosen and all are loved. Through the Lord’s love, we are worthy, valued, and accepted.
This can be hard to remember at times; however, we can turn to the Lord in prayer when we are struggling.
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord, please help me to know that I am accepted in You. There have been many people in my life who have made me feel not accepted. Please help me to focus on what You say instead of what they say. Whenever I am feeling down, please fill my heart with your grace and love. Don’t allow me to question my worth or value. Surround me with your great love and compassion. I know I am accepted in You. I praise you Lord and I love you.
In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.”
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/ipopba
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Friday, 28 June 2024.
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