AND WHO SHALL REACH THE DOWNTRODDEN? Lent Devotion #18

Judges 6:15     And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I (Gideon) save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.  (KJV)

Janet sat at my table in tears, sharing her story of the worst kind of childhood abuse. Several trusted family members had sexually abused her from the time she was a toddler, and she was claiming responsibility for their actions. In turn, when her own children were molested Janet blamed them rather than the adult perpetrators.

The county’s trained professionals had custody of her children but they were unable to help Janet. She was not responding to their “program.” Now she was sharing tea and her problems with me.

According to legal regulations I am not licensable. I lack the degrees and credentials. Yet it seemed God had sent me a small nation to “save.” Like Gideon, I questioned “wherewith shall I save this family? Behold, I am the least in my family (professional community).”

I had an advantage over county workers. I relied on God. He sent Janet to my table, and I had confidence he would use me in her healing.

Even under God’s direction healing takes time.

Eventually, Janet was able to resolve a core issue, the question of who sinned. She was the child, taught to respect and listen to her elders. The adults in the situation took advantage of this and hurt her soul-deep.

In the healing process Janet gained a new understanding of her faith and her identity in God’s eyes. Those insights enabled her to deal with her life and her children in more effective ways.

Do you ever feel like God is expecting too much from you? Does he ask you to do things above your lowly estate? Janet did, in the expectation of healing. I did, in the expectation of leading her to healing---of saving her.

We learned to listen to Him, trust in His guidance and hone the gifts and talents he gave us. If you do this you will be prepared to handle whatever problem he sets in your path.