Have you ever been passed over for a promotion? A team’s choice? By a love-interest? All these hurt deeply, especially when we feel there is no future. Worst: When we feel the LORD has passed over us and chosen someone else….
Notice I said ,“feel”? You know the right answers. You know He has not forgotten about you or passed over you, but for some of us these feelings are hard to dismiss….
But the good news—the GREAT NEWS, is the LORD has passed us over! But not in the way the world has. You know this! He has passed over our sins and failures; our missteps and our misgivings; our weak faith and lack of faith. All these—and so much more—He has passed over. He has not only passed over them, but He has removed them from us. How far?
“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”—Psalm 103:12 (NIV84)
Why? “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Cor. 5:7 NIV84).
So in our doubt, in our unbelief, in our insecurity look to the Lord Jesus: “…“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NKJV, emphasis added)
He is the greatest blessing for being passed over, right?
With Joy of being Passed Over,
Pastor Mike
Hello Pastor Mike. I’m dealing with a pretty disappointing and hard situation at work where I was passed up for a promotion. It’s very hard and feels like a betrayal. I was hoping you could share some insight into Gods way of handling disappointment and how I should proceed in a Christ like manner during times of deep disappointment. Thank you.
Wow, Vincent! I really feel for you. This has happened a few times to me. After praying and forgiving (the powers-that-be for “passing over me” and myself for the resentment I may have carried towards the PTB and the one who did get the promotion): “Heavenly Father, by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and through His power I forgive …. I ask You, Lord Jesus Christ, to bear the consequences of my actions (or their actions). Remove the pain and shame I’m experiencing right now (or “they caused me”) I release myself (or them) into Your hands.” (from my book “A Call to Repentance & Restoration” © 2021)
Next, what I did in a pre-prayed calmer moment is ask for a debriefing meeting with my boss. In this meeting I asked what I could have done better or what I need to improve to get the promotion. I was looking for specifics to help me here. In one case, I was told I was the wrong fit for the promotion. This led to a larger discussion with me at the company. I had a choice: (1) remain in the position and make this the best I could make it; Or (2) find somewhere where I could fulfill what the Lord had called me to do.
I tried #1 while praying and humbling myself, allowing the Lord to remove all the “rough” edges, etc. This took a bit of time, but after a while, He released me to do #2. Had I left prematurely, I would have missed a refiner’s fire time where the Lord was shaping me into being more like Him. (Mal. 3:2-4)
Vincent, your choices may be similar. I know forgiveness is the first and best place to start; because if I do not do this, I will only bring bitterness and resentment to my next position which may sadly poison any opportunity for personal growth let alone a promotion.
Hope this helps. Here are some of these passages I have used to encourage me: Eph. 4:31; Heb. 12:15; Eph. 6:5-8; Titus 2:9-14
Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I’ll be honest, this time hurts a lot because i actually helped my boss get his job and worked to get him promoted over me. He told me all along he would “take care of me” but sadly didn’t keep his promise. I feel betrayed and I’m trying hard not to let resentment settle in but it’s very difficult. The scripture is so helpful as is your advice. I just got the news this afternoon so I’m navigating my emotions right now.