Our Defender

I know what it feels like to be hurt. Whether through betrayal, abandonment, abuse, lack of appreciation, dishonor, manipulation, violation, etc. I know what it means to feel the pain of anyone’s worst nightmare actually becoming your reality.

I’m currently writing this while in the midst of my storm. I’m still in the middle of the chaos, the dust has yet to settle. And let me confess, that I’m living in such a blind state. The hesitation to trust anyone and the attempt to put pieces together and justify the hurt is the battle that I’m fighting everyday. I’m constantly finding myself feeling numb because of the overwhelming amount of emotions and thoughts that I’m processing through. And most often, I find myself asking God, “How do I go through this? How do I properly move forward? How do I not continue to carry this hurt?” and after that I end up on the floor in tears. And you know what, this is just me being honest, because isn’t that we all need? Some honesty, transparency, and vulnerability? I’m here to tell you that whatever you’re feeling or going through, you are not alone.

It’s crazy because through this (for lack of words) crappy week, the Father has been so faithful to remind me that He sees me, that He loves me, that He’s carrying me, and that He’s anchoring me. I know that He is for me and not against me. I hold tight to the promise that He has a future for me and plans to prosper me (Jeremiah 29:11). I trust His word that says He is close to the broken hearted. He is so near to us, friends. He hears our prayers and our heart’s cries.

Through times like this, I look back to when the Israelites were in bondage for generations and were groaning and crying out to God. And in Exodus 3:7-8 it says, “And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come to deliver them out of the land of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…’” You see, it’s crazy to me because if you continue to read through the exodus of the Israelites, you witness God not only deliver them from Egyptians but also defeat them. And He is SO good because He doesn’t stop and leave them after bringing them out of the Egyptian land but He led them to a land that was far more beautiful and fertile than they could’ve possibly imagined.

The amazing thing is the same God that delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians is the same God today. He is consistent, faithful, steady, and never changing. Thank the Lord. And that is why He is a solid rock that is our steady foundation. We are the children that can fall but always trust that our Father is there to catch us.

1 Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” So remember, as we push through the refining fire, He is your defender, He is your safe place, and He is your Father. This is just a season. Let Him be your voice. Your victory is in Him.