Working in the arena of human sex trafficking...
and being aware of the depravity and
darkness that we as humans are capable of, I’m not surprised that I’m drawn to and crave “happy” stories; Things that bring joy to my heart as a balance to the grief and anger.
Everyone likes a story that ends in victory; A story that leaves a sense of triumph instead of defeat. David bringing down Goliath, the walls of Jericho collapsing, the Israelites crossing the Red Sea as Pharaoh's army, in hot pursuit, is overwhelmed by the waves.
We love stories that clearly exemplify God's powerful hand intervening on behalf of His people.
Everyone likes a story that ends in victory; A story that leaves a sense of triumph instead of defeat. David bringing down Goliath, the walls of Jericho collapsing, the Israelites crossing the Red Sea as Pharaoh's army, in hot pursuit, is overwhelmed by the waves.
We love stories that clearly exemplify God's powerful hand intervening on behalf of His people.
However, these monumental moments in scripture shine against extraordinarily dark
and painful contexts.
David was anointed king, yet had a long road of suffering
and persecution before actually ascending the throne... but later came adultery and murder.
Before Jericho’s fall
came 40 years of wilderness.
The Red Sea crossing is sandwiched between generations
of slavery and those 40 years of wilderness wandering that left an entire generation behind, contributing to the desert's dust.
Like placing a diamond on black velvet helps one see its true brilliance, these stories seize our attention and encourage us all the more when we understand the broader context. But what about the times when we can’t see the radiance, victory, or joy? When all we have is the black background with 20 years of wilderness behind, and another 20 years of wandering ahead? When we realize that the 19-year-old woman who’s now free from the horrors of sex slavery also has a criminal record that prevents her from getting a job, renting an apartment, or even being received by local church members overcome by fear? What is God doing during these dark times?
Somehow, a pat, “Christianese” answer of: “God carries us during the tough times” just doesn’t cut it. No mal-intent to the author of “Footprints in the Sand”, but...
Where’s God when things are really, REALLY messed up?
Psalm 21 informs us:
“I
lift up my eyes to the hills. From where
does my help come? My help comes from
the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Romans 8 instructs us:
“Likewise, the
Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we
ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for
words… And we know that for those who love God all things work together for
good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
“Consider it pure
joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because
you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let
perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything.”
I have wrestled with James for many years now, but recognize that not all things, the things we walk through, the pain, death, and grief, are not what's good here. Instead, what we as believers find joy in is a sovereign, purposful God, who can redeem all things and make them good. The horror of the cross becomes the brilliant joy of salvation and the ultimate assurance of a victory beyond the grave.
And
the verse most people have heard but don’t put in the context of pain and
suffering, John 3:16-17:
“For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
These,
and multiple other verses addressing God’s intimate, sovereign care of His children, have helped me keep hope through my own trials and even as we seek to provide care and freedom for women (and men) who simply can’t see any reason to hope in the midst
of unthinkable suffering. The hope and promise I hold on to is that we serve a purposeful, redeeming God.
We serve the God who defines and gives purpose. The only one who has responded to the horrors of sin and death by drawing a line of His own blood in the sand, and planting a cross proclaiming that even suffering is redeemed for those who are under His Lordship and in His arms!
As I often feel powerless in the face of the world's consumption of the weak, and constantly wonder how my small, seemingly insignificant efforts against the horrific tide of human trafficking can make any difference at all, I
am encouraged by Charles
Spurgeon’s proclamation of working in God's strength, at His appointed task, until the Lord himself calls me home:
“Those who would
gladly measure me for my coffin had better wait a bit, for 'the LORD hath
chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death.' Glory be to
His name forever! I am immortal till my work is done. Till the LORD wills it,
no vault can close upon me”.
That’s
assurance and conviction of God’s sovereignty, not only in the midst of trials,
but knowing that even the very moment of death is in the Lord’s hands! And until that day, every storm, every
affliction, every trial I walk through is, as James tells us, within His sovereign purpose to make
me “mature and complete, lacking nothing."
If there is even a small ray of hope that our work can provide to a survivor of sex trafficking or the vulnerable still under unthinkable abuse and oppression, we need to keep reaching out and working as Christ's Body. Often, survivors can't understand our hope in a sovereign, loving Father, but the hope that WE carry, because of our own assurance in the of salvation through Christ, provides enough hope for the oppressed to take a step of faith. It's simply because of Christ in us that we have anything to offer. And that anything in the end, is actually everything.
It’s an understanding and hope in a good and sovereign God that keeps the Abegg family moving forward into the seemingly impenetrable darkness, knowing that every beat of our hearts and the daily needs we encounter are ultimately, and eternally in the Lord’s hands.
It’s this understanding, this conviction that enables
us to offer hope to women who can’t imagine redemption for what they’ve done, or what’s been done to them.
That’s the God who turns Saul into Paul, and
blind, abused beggars into heralds of hope. That’s the God we trust in, and
where our hope is placed, day-by-day, until we have no more days on this earth.
Please
join us in trusting Him for the work ahead, and interceding for the wisdom,
discernment, and provision necessary for each and every day.
Visit our UWM SUPPORT PAGE and help us provide care for survivors and prevent others from becoming victims.
