Walk the Talk . . . When You Have Been Hurt
Week 29, Monday
Dayna Street
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result.
Genesis 50:20 (nasb)
Most of the hurts that I have experienced in my life have come from other Christians. And something tells me that many of yours have also. Christians are the only army in the world that wound their own and then shoot their wounded!
David had enemies. In fact, he told God about his enemies seventy-five times in the Psalms. Listen to the pain with which he pours out his heart: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9, nasb).
Paul had the same problem with some of his closest associates. Alexander did him harm and Demas abandoned him during the winter when he was in prison.
And who better than Joseph knows the wounds that can be caused by those who are closest to us? His jealous brothers sold him out, literally, to strangers. His boss’s wife, Mrs. Potiphar, sought to seduce him and when Joseph refused her advances, she lied, and he landed in prison. Then, the cupbearer who promised to help him when he got out of prison forgot him for two long years! I believe that the words Joseph spoke in Genesis 50:20 were not just words spoken in a timely fashion; those words had become his life message. There was a power at work in his life that enabled him to forgive and walk in victory. Joseph refused to wear the rags of a victim because he knew that God had created him to be a victor.
Pain and disappointment did not define Joseph’s life and they do not have to define ours. Trust God to give you victory in your most difficult circumstances, and you will eventually see that He “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, nasb). Determine to walk in faith today, knowing that the one who gave His life for you understands your pain and is at work on your behalf.
Lord, You know the pain I feel and I believe that You are at work in my situation. Help me to walk victoriously in You! Amen.
For me, I did not want the woundedness to define me, but rather my response to those who inflicted the wounds needed to reflect Christ. I hope and pray that I am getting this right because it matters more to me how I live for Christ in all of my circumstances than in the expectations of others. Besides, it makes for an open doorway for conversations to a dark and lost community when they see the pain inflicted and then they see how the wounded respond. Praying for each of you dear minister’s wives as we live our lives for Christ alone in this journey where we are planted.
Thanks for this great devotional that you posted. It’s so true that in ministry, we can be wounded easily and the church is just having sinners being redeemed and us being on our way towards sanctification. When I look back in our ministries with my husband for the last 32 years, we had been wounded in many occasions but we have received healing from the Lord. ” He heals the broken hearted and binds up our wounds.” Psalm 147:3 It may take a while for the Lord to heal us and turned around situations. We can tell that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That’s why the Lord has given me the passion to do ministry among pastors’ wives so that we learn to bond to support each other and receive healing from the Lord. Being in group will help us to set appropriate boundaries with others too.