At the end of Ecclesiastes 1:9 Solomon wrote…And there is nothing new under the sun. Unfortunately, that is true. From the time of the Fall, man’s heart has been depraved. The Holy Scriptures record the depths of the evil that enters the imagination of mankind: including sexual assault and incest.
In 2 Samuel 13, the Bible gives the account of King David’s son, Amnon, who had an unnatural love for his sister, Tamar. Amnon so desperately wanted Tamar that he became sick. Amnon mistakenly told his desire for Tamar to his cousin, Jonadab. Instead of Jonadab rebuking his cousin, he devised a plan for Amnon to rape Tamar.
Once Amnon violated Tamar, he kicked her out. His hate for Tamar was greater than the “love” that he once had for her. Tamar told her brother, Absalom, what happened to her. She remained isolated in his home for the rest of her life. The Scriptures do not give us any more information about her. Her story begins with her being a king’s daughter with tremendous beauty but ends with her being silenced and alone.
Your story may have begun with sexual assault, rape, or incest but you are the child of a King. He can take your ashes and give you beauty. God is able to flip the pain that you feel from someone else’s perversion of “love” into you experiencing His genuine love for you. He can take what has made you feel weak and insignificant and His grace can strengthen you. He is able to cleanse you from all of the guilt, shame, and unforgiveness (including the blame that you have placed on yourself).
Your relationship with God may have been impacted by what has happened to you. You may have questions or be angry towards Him. He can handle the truth of what is in your heart. If you will trust Him, He can take your voice that has been silenced and empower you to declare the goodness of how He healed you. It may be difficult to address this alone. I encourage you to seek the counsel of your church leadership to walk with you as you begin your process of healing.
For more encouragement on overcoming difficult circumstances, read Post-Traumatic Spiritual Disorder
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Copyright 2020 T.L. Lockley. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
