A Haven For The Broken - Forgiveness Through the Psalms

“I will give repeated thanks to the LORD, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.” (Psalm 109:30-31, NLT)

“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1, NLT)

“Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!” (Psalm 150:1-2, NLT)

How do we forgive the church? How do we forgive the place that was supposed to keep us safe, welcome us in, and offer us a home to belong when it does the exact opposite?

Leading a church of my own nowadays, I so love and value the community of people that I do life alongside. Still, I sometimes incur hurt from “the church”—my own congregation!

I’ve experienced the full gamut of people being people. I’ve been cussed out on the phone by a raging parent for attempting to hold their daughter accountable. I’ve had leaders enthusiastically sign up to lead and serve, only to abandon ship soon after. I’ve been gaslit, strung along, and outright denied opportunity by leaders ahead of me. I’ve witnessed double standards and hypocrisy at different levels of organizational leadership. I’ve watched countless coworkers be sidelined, shamed, and silenced under the guise of protection of the broader institution. I’ve had numerous conversations with individuals who have left church leadership, the church itself, or following Jesus altogether because of painful past experiences.

In light of this, a question I am often asked is how I’m not jaded toward God or the church. You’d think that after enduring multiple massive church scandals, it’d be easy to blame the church. And there have certainly been seasons when I have.

God, how could you?

God, why?

God, make this right!

I’ve prayed Psalm 109 countless times in fits of righteous anger toward some of the appalling, cowardly acts I’ve seen done “in the name of the Lord.” It grieves my heart to no end.

But over time I’ve come to a place of trust and hope in the Lord. I can’t blame the church, because I’ve seen God—time and time again—use what Satan meant for evil, for good. I’ve seen beauty come from ashes. I’ve seen restoration take place. I’ve seen wrongs made right. Every time, it is a glimpse of heaven.

Those experiences don’t make past hurts any less painful or wrong. But God’s faithfulness, mercy, and kindness shine brightest in the darkest spaces.

In the suffering of church hurt, I have found, over and over, a God who sees me. Who cares for me. And who cares for his church.

We mustn’t forget this, my friends. It is God’s church. Our job is to be faithful to the calling of building his church, but he is the one who makes it happen. This is good news, because even when we fail, God does not.

I have found no other avenue to bring healing, hope, and restoration on earth as it is in heaven than the local church. Our church here in Indy is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but we’ve made it our ambition to become, in part, a haven for broken people. That piece of our mission statement was born out of deep pain in my past. But it’s a past I wouldn’t trade for the world, because God has redeemed it, forgiven it, and restored my present. My future is secure in him. I take heart in the words of God from the writer of Hebrews: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV).

Forgiveness is possible when we realize that we’re not in control of the church. God is. The local church is worth fighting for. It’s worth belonging to. And so, if you find yourself in a season of church hurt, please take time to heal. But do your part to heal. Let Jesus’ words of wisdom, compassion, and love act like a healing balm to your soul.

And then return. Try again. Root yourself in a community. You will risk being hurt. And you probably will be hurt again. Failure is inevitable. But belonging, community, family is just on the other side.

When it goes right, it’s but a taste of what is to come.

You can read more devotionals from Micah E. Davis in his book The Forgiveness Way!