The Lord Hears Your Cries: Hope and Strength from the Bible in the midst of domestic violence
About this ebook
If you have been hit or physically harmed by someone you love and trust, or endured the humiliation of abusive language and accusations, or lived in fear because of threats made against you or others you love, then you know the peculiar mix of fear, confusion and guilt that surrounds domestic violence.
In your pain, you may experience many feelings – disbelief, shock, anger, guilt, fear. Opposing feelings can be present at the same time: perhaps anger and dependency, love and pain, and hurt with neediness.
All these feelings are natural and must be sorted through, you need to allow those feelings to be expressed in a safe place. By honestly evaluating all your feelings, whatever they are, you will be helped to find a solution to your situation that is right for you.
Whatever the solution, the abuse must be stopped. Domestic violence is always potentially deadly, so the practical concerns you have for shelter, safety, intervention, and treatment are vital. The issues that surface when domestic violence occurs are never purely religious or secular. It is important to avail yourself of both religious and secular sources of help. Use of medical, legal, and psychological community resources is strongly encouraged to help you work out all the practical issues surrounding you when you attempt to rebuild your life. The community of faith and God’s immeasurable help are just as critical when you try to understand the emotions evoked in you and the questions you naturally ask God when you experience such intense suffering. Seek out a cooperative harmony of effort between religious and secular sources of help to change your situation away from abuse, and help you to regain control of your life.
Beyond the help of qualified professionals and a community of support that can help provide some of the practical resources you may need, that process should also include the support of close friends with whom you might be able to pray and read the Scriptures.
As you do that, we pray that the words from the Bible that have been assembled in this booklet will help to give you comfort, courage and strength for the days ahead. Those who wrote these texts expressed their pain to God from the middle of their own despair and pain. These are not easy pat answers from someone wearing rose coloured glasses, but rather the honest words of men and women who in the midst of great hardships found a solace in God.
Jesus himself carried the heavy burden of the cross when he walked the road to his death. Jesus understands your suffering because he himself has suffered. As you place your trust in him, he promises to lift your heavy burden and to make it light. He will always be your rest as you come to rest in him, for he gave his life because of his love for you.
Psalm 10.17
About the author
Though its work began with a Mohawk translation two hundred years ago, the Canadian Bible Society was formally founded in 1904. We translate, publish and distribute Bibles, New Testaments and other portions of the Bible in over 100 languages. Our goal is to make the Bible easily accessible to every man, woman and child in a way that they will be helped and their lives will be transformed by what it has to say.
We accomplish our work in Canada through partnerships with churches and other ministries. Outside Canada we collaborate with 145 other national Bible Societies who are also members of the United Bible Societies to assist countries where our resources can help and to benefit from the strength of joint projects.
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