Forgiveness: Two

Forgiveness: Two

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her:
"You are the God who sees me," for she said,
"I have now seen the One who sees me."
Genesis 16:13 NIV

There seems to be this wild misconception that rape and sexual assault are not talked about in the Bible, but this simply is not true.  From a young age, we have heard about Father Abraham, and perhaps heard that song about him that goes on forever.  Abraham is one of the most prominent figures and examples of faith we have.  

However, Abraham, a man of God, for all intents and purposes, rapes Hagar, his wife Sarah's servant.  (Another story similar to this we could look at is of David and Bathsheba, seen primarily in 2 Samuel 11.)  Now, there are many, many things we can consider about Hagar and Bathsheba's stories as they align with race, servants, and other factors, but since this is about forgiveness from sexual assault, I'm going to just focus on this.  

Hagar is raped and impregnated by Abraham, and then abused by Sarah, so she runs away.  In the middle of her anguish, she hears from a messenger of the Lord. 

I don't know about you, but this sexual assault has made me figuratively (an occasionally literally) run away from aspects of my life.  And there are days it makes me feel so incredibly separated from God.  But as we see here, God is right there for Hagar.  And He is right here for us.  Hagar may have been running, but then she knows God is the God who sees her.  God is present in our lives.  

Another story of rape in the Bible that is incredibly shocking to me is the story of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13.  But in this story, we see Absalom care for his sister in the aftermath.  While he takes revenge, this only continues to stir things up.  When Absalom kills Amnon, it does not solve anything.  He did a horrible thing, yes, but killing him did not help anybody.  

Sometimes it feels like that person should be gone.  Depending on how serious your assault was, you may want them to die sometimes.  However, it is important to realize that forgiveness is a better answer than revenge.  Forgiveness heals us.  Revenge only continues our pain.

Hagar had to return to Abraham and Sarah's house, until she once again was pushed away.  Then, she heard from the Lord another time.  This time, in Genesis 21:19, God opens her eyes and allows her to see a way to survive. 

God knows how we can survive, and He sees us.  He has not forgotten us, and He is not ashamed of us.  

Write

Listen to God.  Allow in His Spirit, and consider what He is opening your eyes to in your healing.  How can He help you not only survive, but thrive? Where is God pouring into your life, even if you have been running away?  Listen for His voice.

Pray

Dear Lord, You are the God who sees.  You see my pain, you see my hurt, and you care deeply for me.  I confess, sometimes I run away.  In my pain, I've doubted.  However, You are the God who helps me to survive.  Help me remember that You are present in my pain, and You want to open my eyes to the water of life.  In your Son's name I pray, amen. 

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