Bullied
March 5
Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men of violence … they make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s.
Psalm 140:1, 2
Carl wet his pants in the third grade. The teacher wouldn’t let him out of class. Her rule was, “You go before or after, not during classes.” Seated right behind Carl that day was the class bully. Bully’s harassment of Carl began that day. He never let up, always calling him derogatory names.
After years of Bully’s abuse, Carl became aware of two things: he was afraid to stand up for himself, and nobody else was going to do it for him. He lived in constant fear of his next encounter with Bully.
Carl never forgot those years and became an angry man because of those unresolved wounds, venting his anger in ways that caused additional pain for himself and those he loved. He developed a quick temper and frequently spoke in clipped sentences to let people know they were an annoyance.
God tried to help Carl, but Carl was angry at God for allowing Bully to do the things he had done. For all intents and purposes, Carl appeared to be an upstanding, confident man. In silence, Carl’s private wound continued to ache; he refused to talk about it.
†
Carl isn’t alone. Many of us walk around with deep, secret wounds inflicted by the bullies of the world, hoping no one will ever find out. Satan wants us, like Carl, to remain silent, for in the silence there is no healing.
God wants those who have known bullies to come to Him for healing. He alone can take away the pain. He alone can speak His truth into the wounds of our heart. God is heartbroken over the bullies of the world because they abuse free will.
Free will means that God could not stop Bully from doing what he did anymore than He would stop us from committing the sin in our lives. To do so would mean we had no free will. But God is there in our pain, asking us to let Him heal our wounds. Free will is ours in this matter also.
Prayer
“Come and set me free from this pain, Lord. Speak Your truth to my heart. Bring healing to my soul. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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