Held By God: When Home or Relationships Are Not Safe
Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, spiritual , or financial abuse. Or domestic violence can be threats of abuse or the destruction of your property.
call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger
Murphys Crisis Center
409 Church St., Murphys, CA
Office: 209-890-3950
24/7 Hotline: 209-736-4011
Murphys Crisis Center
409 Church St., Murphys, CA
Office: 209-890-3950
24/7 Hotline: 209-736-4011
Individuals of faith who have experienced intimate partner violence or abuse often ask:
• Where was God?
• Why did God allow this to happen to me?
• Did I somehow cause this to happen?
• Does God still love me?
God is love (1 John 4:7-8) and God hates evil (Psalm 5:4-5). In a broken world, the harmful choices of one person often leave another carrying real pain. Scripture is honest about this reality - it does not promise the absence of suffering, but it consistently promises the presence of God with those who are hurting (Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 22; 23:1-4; 55; 91:4; Matthew 5:4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
No one deserves to be abused, no matter what sins they have committed. A victim is never at fault for the abuse they endure and nothing they did could cause abuse. Abuse is always a choice made by the abuser.
God’s love is constant, consistent, unfailing, stable, unconditional, steadfast, and unmovable. The Apostle Paul writes, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NRSV). Nothing can separate you from God - and that includes abuse and the perpetrators of abuse.
Forgiveness is complicated, and it can hold a broad range of thoughts and emotions for survivors. When survivors are told to “forgive and forget,” that can create a harmful model of forgiveness. Healthy forgiveness for a survivor is not that simple, but it includes a full understanding of the offenses committed, adequate space for their emotions, setting boundaries, releasing the right to hurt for being hurt, trusting that God can heal anything, and prayer.
• Where was God?
• Why did God allow this to happen to me?
• Did I somehow cause this to happen?
• Does God still love me?
God is love (1 John 4:7-8) and God hates evil (Psalm 5:4-5). In a broken world, the harmful choices of one person often leave another carrying real pain. Scripture is honest about this reality - it does not promise the absence of suffering, but it consistently promises the presence of God with those who are hurting (Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 22; 23:1-4; 55; 91:4; Matthew 5:4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
No one deserves to be abused, no matter what sins they have committed. A victim is never at fault for the abuse they endure and nothing they did could cause abuse. Abuse is always a choice made by the abuser.
God’s love is constant, consistent, unfailing, stable, unconditional, steadfast, and unmovable. The Apostle Paul writes, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NRSV). Nothing can separate you from God - and that includes abuse and the perpetrators of abuse.
Forgiveness is complicated, and it can hold a broad range of thoughts and emotions for survivors. When survivors are told to “forgive and forget,” that can create a harmful model of forgiveness. Healthy forgiveness for a survivor is not that simple, but it includes a full understanding of the offenses committed, adequate space for their emotions, setting boundaries, releasing the right to hurt for being hurt, trusting that God can heal anything, and prayer.