ForgottenWoman

Will He Really Handle It?

Within my study of Forgiveness and how you and I are to live a lifestyle of forgiving not only the major offenses in our lives, but the minor molehill type hurts that we do well to overlook;  it is so important that we continually remind ourselves of Who our God is – and why we can trust Him when we choose to lay our hurts at His feet and walk in obedience by forgiving.

I don’t know about you, but my flesh and human thinking too often raises questions that if I’m not careful will take root and lead me into wrong thinking, doubting God’s promises and yes, even refusing to obey His instruction to forgive – excusing my disobedience with my insecurities centered around my doubts that He can be trusted.

It seems bold to admit that I doubt Him, doesn’t it?  But think about it with me.  Have you ever in your quiet moments of struggling through hurt wondered if Almighty God really cares about your aching heart?  I mean, seriously!  There are much bigger issues in this world that don’t center around my personal wounds.  How selfish of me to need Him to hold my tears in a bottle!  How self-centered of me to expect God to see the wrongs done to me and even consider dealing with those who have hurt me!  Who am I to expect such things?  Well, I’m God’s child!  

A recent study on the Fatherhood of God in prayer has been faith-building for me on my forgiveness journey.  A story often told puts this into perspective for us!  A couple adopted a child from an orphanage and as he began his new life, his classmates discovered that he was adopted and the whispering began.  As children can sometimes do, they began to pick on him or as we hear so often today, bully him on the playground at school.  One day, when he had heard enough he said to a group of them,  “Of the hundreds of children at the orphanage my parents could have picked, they chose me.  But your poor parents are stuck with you!” 

Never forget that Almighty God has chosen to adopt you as His child – the moment you turned to Him for salvation, He said with open arms,  “Yes, child!”

When Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless” in John 14:18, we understand that He was speaking of the Comforter to come (Holy Spirit).  The Holy Spirit is our intercessor, our consoler and advocate.  What a great promise!  Remember this the next time you feel alone with your bruises and wounds inflicted by someone else.  

But let’s look more closely here.  In John 14:18, the word comfortless is translated from the word orphanos which literally means to be bereaved as an orphan or without parents. 

What was Jesus saying here?  He was saying that we are not spiritual orphans!  We are not left alone, to fend for ourselves, to desperately try to survive as parentless spiritually. 

As a Christian I am the child of The Most High God.  God is now my Father.

This is such an important thing to understand as we deal with any doubts about God taking care of those who have hurt us!  How would I approach my loving father?  I would go straight to him and tell him how broken I feel by the actions of another. That is exactly how I can approach God my Father when I’m seeking to obey Him and hoping He is concerned enough to see me, to hear me, to be an advocate for me.

The bottom line is that we have received the spirit of adoption!  We now cry,  “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15 

In the most simple terms Abba means “Up, Daddy, up!”  Y’all, it’s only when we have a true childlike faith that we will cry out to God in complete trust – expecting our Father God to lift us up in His mighty arms, expecting Him to do exactly as He says He will do when we are hurt by the actions and words of others. 

What exactly does He say He will do?

Psalm 91 is a passage that I go to often when I’m doubting…  Let’s look at it together.  

“ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”

When I read this Psalm, I have to understand that He is talking about what He does for ME, His child!!  

How about 2 Thessalonians 3:3: “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one”.  As we read this verse, let’s remember that our ultimate enemy is THE evil one – Satan.  The humans that hurt us are simply tools and therefore the small enemies.  In this verse, we read that the Lord is faithful to guard us against the evil one!  Our job is to obey and trust Him to do what He promises to do!  

And then there’s Proverbs 14:26: “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge”.   We are NOT left to our own defenses!  We can REST in His promise to be our refuge – to protect us, to defend us – to make all things work together for our good and His glory!  

One of my favorites:  Isaiah 49:25: “…I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children”.   How do I deal with my doubts?  I renew my mind with truth and that’s exactly what these verses are:  TRUTH!  

Let’s reiterate this theme by looking at good earthly fathers.  Some of us had really good fathers, and some of us did not – but when we consider Who God is as our Abba, Father (Daddy), we can only look at what we know about good fathers.  I mean, God, Who is without sin, Who is Holy, Who is all knowing and all seeing and all justice and all compassion and all giving and all loving…  Oh my!  Let’s let our imaginations just run away with us and envision what God as our Father/Daddy really means.  

 *Sacrifice in Crisis: In a dramatic display of devotion, a father named Lasaro risked his life during a flood, navigating pitch-black, dangerous waters to carry each of his five children to safety one by one.

*The Ultimate Shield: Another father, David Adams, sacrificed his life to save his 13-year-old son by stepping in front of gunfire, acting as a shield at the cost of his own life.

*A Father’s Protective Instinct: Some dads act immediately to protect their children from environmental dangers, such as a father who fought off a coyote with his bare hands to save his two-year-old.

*Unwavering Devotion: Beyond physical protection, a dedicated dad  in Australia is an emotional anchor who provides love and stability, even while managing his own loss.

Each of these stories give us a small glimpse into what a good earthly father is.  Can we grasp this and understand our Heavenly Father is the ultimate Father?  What He is willing to do and what He is able to do for us, His children is so beyond these amazing stories!  

When our hearts are destroyed by the actions and words of others, we have a safe place to abide – to take shelter – to know that our wounds, our hurts and even our broken hearts are not overlooked, are not ignored and matter to Almighty God as our Father Who promises to handle it.  I imagine my earthly father saying to me,  “Joy honey.  Don’t worry about that anymore!  Daddy’s gonna handle it!”  Let’s meditate on the fact that our Heavenly Father promises the same thing all throughout His Word.  He says,  “Child, you just obey me and forgive whatever has been done to you.  I’ll handle it!”