Sexual Abuse and God

I teach a class twice a week for Patsy’s Place.  That’s a ministry in Amarillo that houses women who have recently been incarcerated.  The one year program offers Bible Classes and life skills to help them as they return to the “real world”.  Over the weekend as I prayed about my next class the Lord spoke very clearly that He wanted the topic to be over sexual and physical abuse.  I very clearly told the Lord I didn’t want to do it and I was not qualified to do such a class.  He assured me my lack of qualification was so that I would be sure to get out of His way so He could do it Himself.  I cried all weekend as I wrote the curriculum as He gave it to me.  It was a 1.5 hour class so I can’t share all of it with you but I want to share two parts that may help anyone else who has been the victim of abuse.

#1-  This past weekend my son had a sleepover.  The next day he discovered that $40 had been stolen from his money bank.  I felt outrage.  Someone dared to come into my home and steal my son’s birthday money from him!  I wanted to call all the parents (even though we felt we knew who the offender was) and have them question their sons.  My husband asked me to calm down and just let him handle it.  Yesterday Roman came home and placed two twenty dollar bill on the counter.  “There is Josiah’s birthday money”. . .I gave him a questioning look.  He then rolled up his shirt sleeve and showed me a bandage wrapped around the middle of his arm.  “I just paid the debt with my blood”, he said!  (He had gone downtown to give blood/plasma which pays exactly $40).  He then used this as a word picture to give our children.  Daddy just bought the “birth-right” that was stolen from you back with his blood.  . .I was then able to use this story with the women I ministered to today.  I told them the Fathers heart felt anger and outrage that someone would dare to come and steal from His daughters what did not belong to them.  But their Father purchased that debt back with His blood.  Not a dry eye in the room. . .

#2-  We ended the class with a foot-washing.  I told them that opening up wounds from the past was painful but necessary for healing.  I talked about the phrase “pouring salt in an open wound”.  It’s painful, but it draws out the infection.  I placed Epsom Salt in the wash basin.  I told them that even in the pain God was there to soothe the pain. . .the Epsom Salt had lavender sent.  I played them a song called “Hold Me Now” by Jennifer Knapp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIOKssjm4c  and prayed over them as I washed feet.  The last thing was to apply a foot balm. 

Jeremiah 8:21  Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?

God has a healing balm waiting, but we have to choose to reach out to Him.  God is a gentleman who will never touch us without our consent.  I know that healing the wounds inflicted by abuse does not happen in a short class. . .but healing does begin with that first cry to God.  If you have suffered abuse I pray His salt be poured  on you to clean the wound, and that His healing balm restore your soul.  I pray you accept that your Father paid for what was stolen for you with His very own blood.