How does God respond to our trauma?

Isaiah 42:3“He [the Lord’s Servant] will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.”

Isaiah 61:1-3The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Each of these passages from Isaiah is a prophecy about Jesus (see Matthew 12:17-21; Luke 4:17-21). Jesus truly cares for those of us who are grieving and who feel imprisoned or broken by our trauma.

1 Kings 19:3-9Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

Elijah’s trauma had left him grieving, depressed, suicidal, and isolated from others. Yet when he cried out to God, God didn’t lecture him. In fact, God’s first response was to let Elijah take a nap, then to wake him up to provide him with food and water. Finally, once Elijah was strong enough, God called him on a long journey (both literal and metaphorical) to lead him to a healthier place. God cares for our well-being, and he knows that recovering from trauma is a process.

1 Kings 19:9-13The Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God is infinitely powerful, and he showed that power to Elijah. Yet when he spoke to Elijah, he did not speak through thunderous words and shame Elijah for doubting him. Instead, after demonstrating his power, the Lord spoke in a gentle whisper, inviting Elijah to share what weighed on his heart.

1 Kings 19:13-14A voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

Catastrophizing is a trauma reaction that distorts our perceptions of reality. When we catastrophize, we assume the worst so that if something bad happens, we won’t be as surprised and shocked by it like we were by our past trauma experiences. Sometimes, we catastrophize by exaggerating painful truths and the likelihood of future pain. Other times—like Elijah—we may present some painful truths accurately, but ignore other hopeful truths that are equally real. Unfortunately, this only worsens the effects of our trauma and encourages anxiety and depression.

1 Kings 19:15-18Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. . . . Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

When Elijah catastrophized, God did not belittle Elijah’s traumatic experiences. However, he did challenge the lie that Elijah was alone, and he took steps to show Elijah the truth, promising Elijah that 7,000 believers remained in Israel. God did not offer Elijah comfort only through words, however. He also led Elijah to a new friend and fellow believer who would carry on his work—Elisha.

Exodus 2:11-15Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight. The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.

Exodus 3:6-12“I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Exodus 3:11-12Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you.

Both Moses’s identity as an Egyptian prince and his identity as a Hebrew were shattered when he was rejected by both Pharaoh and his people. He spent forty years in Midian, creating a new identity—and a new family—for himself. Moses tried to hide from his old identity and his past, but in the end God used that past for a greater purpose. God doesn’t always call us back to the place and people where our trauma occurred, but sometimes he does. Sometimes, going back and discovering that our experiences did not destroy us, that they don’t have power over us, can be freeing. Not everyone needs to face their trauma like this, and not everyone can. But God called Moses to face the traumas of his past, and Moses grew to be a better person and leader because of it.

Genesis 16:4-13So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. . . . Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away. The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. . . . Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”

Abraham and Sarah grew impatient for God’s promise of a child, so, following an ancient practice of the time, Sarah made her servant, Hagar, try to bear a child for her. This wasn’t God’s plan for them, and it caused a great deal of anger and hurt feelings for all involved. To some, Hagar might have seemed insignificant and unworthy of mercy. After all, Hagar was a lowly servant, and she had contributed to the problem by the way she treated Sarah. But God saw Hagar, he saw the pain Hagar was going through, and he not only protected her and her child—he gave Hagar the honor of being the mother of a great nation (see Genesis 21:8-21). Even if our trauma is intertwined with our own sins, God will not abandon us.

Judges 6:39-40Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.

Judges 7:9-11That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged.”

Gideon’s trauma left him constantly fearful and second-guessing God’s power over Israel’s oppression by the Midianites. God could have become frustrated or angry with Gideon’s struggling faith. God could have called someone else. Yet God still chose Gideon, and God was patient with Gideon, even sending him a final miraculous encouragement without Gideon even asking. God doesn’t expect perfection—only enough trust to take the next step. In the end, Gideon trusted despite his fears, and he truly became the mighty warrior God knew he could be.