Grace Abounds: Hope and Healing From Sexual AbuseSample

Why did God allow this to happen to me? Does He care about me at all?

If you have ever asked these questions, you are not alone. When I asked them myself, my mind was a battlefield between what I knew about God and what I assumed He did or did not do to protect me. I felt abandoned by God and questioned Him while trying to make sense of my pain. God had been with me in difficult situations too numerous to count, so I was aware of His presence in my life. However, my hurt and anger prompted me to lash out at God because I felt He could have done more.

Like me, you may reason that God could have stopped the abuse and is, therefore, to blame for it. However, when you blame God, you fail to see the culprit behind evil in the world. Ephesians 6:12 says your struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of this dark world. Satan, the god of this world, is your enemy, and he manipulated your abuser to attack your vulnerability and steal your innocence.

But if God is sovereign, why would He allow abuse in the world? Romans 11:36 says that all things proceed from God and exist for His glory. God’s Word says we will have trouble in this world, but to take heart because He has overcome the world with his Son, Jesus! God can use any tragedy, including your trauma, to work “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Yes, the world is fallen, but you are not of the world, and you do not have to claim its brokenness. God can transform your ashes into a crown of beauty for all the world to see!

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray for the woman struggling to understand why someone abused her. Help her share her anger, resentment, and distrust with You. Allow her to release the truth of her emotions. Father, begin to chip away at the walls she created to protect herself and help her to invite You into her broken heart. Guide her step by step through the good and bad days of the healing journey and encourage her to keep going. Thank You for being a good, gracious, and patient Father. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.