The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah 9:12-13
It's a weird thought here, the idea of turning to the person that hit you. It sounds like an awful idea, and I think in our lives with imperfect people, it almost always is. Forgiveness seems appropriate and necessary, but trust less so in a situation like that.
However, this is the scriptures and we're talking about the Lord, so let's examine this a little more closely. The hand that is stretched out we read about a lot, and symbolically it can be a hand of punishment, but it is also a hand of creation, mercy, and healing. And the smiting is, instead of being abuse, the just consequences of sin... and yet, the Lord's hand remains stretched out to save. At any point we can turn around, let go of our sin, and be gathered home to God in love and forgiveness.
The prodigal son suffered, but he remembered that in his father's house, even the lowest servants were treated better than the way he was living, and her turned around. We might think that whatever punishment or pain we endure in this life is being smitten of the Lord, and so it is, but only in an abstract sense. God made all of this, and he knows that it will happen, but he doesn't want us to suffer at all. He wants us to turn around and make better choices, and all of this is designed to teach us that... to choose joy and mercy and love rather than lust and greed and emptiness.
Today, let's remember the difference between God and an abuser. Let's remember that God set an example for us of love and healing, and let's trust him to do the same for us as we return to him.
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