Healing the Wounds of Trauma

ruined. Their spouse and family members can play a key role in this. Eventually, they may be willing to receive comfort from God’s Word and have others pray for them. Scriptures that might be helpful are Psalm 9.9–10; 10.17–18. D. They need to bring their pain to God. When people are ready, they need to bring their pain to God in prayer and ask God for healing. The more specific they can be about what was lost in the rape—for example, innocence, purity, joy—the better. They should ask God to restore these things to them (Ps 71.20–21). E. They need to forgive the person who raped them. When the pain in their hearts has been healed by God, then they can begin to forgive the rapist. Rape is a terrible thing, but God asks us to forgive those who do evil to us (Mt 6.14–15). The process of forgiveness may take a long time. If a child resulted from the rape, forgiving the rapist may help a woman to more fully accept the child. Are there any children in your church who are teased or rejected because of the events surrounding their birth? If so, how are you helping them? A. What are their special needs? Sometimes, children born as a result of rape are rejected by their mothers and families. They may be treated poorly, or even neglected so much that they die. They may be ridiculed for not having a father. Their siblings may hate them and not consider them to be full mem- bers of the family. 5. What about children born as a result of rape? ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

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How Can We Help Someone Who Has Been Raped?