WHEN YOU FEEL SIDELINED

There are seasons in life when we feel set aside, left out, or even forgotten. We watch others move forward, succeed, or remain in the spotlight, while we sit quietly in the shadows — hidden, waiting, and wondering. If that’s where you find yourself today, take heart. The pages of Scripture are filled with people who experienced the same.

Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison. Once favored in his father’s house, he found himself in the depths of a dungeon, abandoned by man. Yet Scripture says, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love” (Genesis 39:21). God hadn’t forgotten him. He was preparing him. 

Moses, once a prince in Egypt, spent forty long years in Midian tending sheep — his dreams buried under desert sand. But it was in that obscurity that God refined his character and prepared him to lead a nation. The Lord spoke to Moses not in a palace, but from a burning bush in the wilderness (Exodus 3:1–2).

David, who would one day be anointed as king, spent years fleeing from Saul, hiding in caves and foreign lands. His journey to the throne was anything but straight. Yet even in isolation, David declared, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7). God was writing a deeper story in those hidden years.

Jeremiah, the faithful prophet, was thrown into a pit, imprisoned, and silenced. His ministry seemed stifled. But the Lord reassured him, “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:19).

Paul, the great apostle, was confined by chains — held back by house arrest and prison walls. Yet from confinement came letters that would shape the Church for centuries. “I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:9).

And John, exiled on the island of Patmos, cut off from the fellowship of believers, received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It was in isolation that heaven opened.

The lesson? Being sidelined is no fun, but it does not mean you’ve been shelved. God does some of His most powerful work in the quiet places — behind the scenes, in the waiting rooms, in the caves and deserts. The SILENCE is not ABSENCE. The PAUSE is not PUNISHMENT. The DELAY is not DENIAL.

In your hidden season, remember: God sees. God knows. And God is still at work.

“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” 

— Philippians 1:6

So stay faithful in the quiet. Trust Him in the stillness. What feels like a detour may be the very road that leads to your destiny. (Ron Rhodes)