Instead of Abandoned, Treasured

During the month of June, I will be writing a series of devotionals based on my upcoming book, Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, published by Harvest House Publishers August 2019.

You will no longer be called, “Abandoned”…Indeed, you will be called “My Delight is in Her”…For the Lord will take delight in you…As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you (Isaiah 62:4-5, NET).

Ratna daydreamed as she washed dishes in her small, sunny kitchen. Lutfi would be home soon and she had prepared his favorite lamb stew for lunch. Recently married, Ratna and Lutfi lived in a  small apartment adjacent to his father’s home. 

Crack! Ratna snapped to attention as a glass slipped from her hands, breaking into pieces and sinking beneath the bubbles. Oh no! she thought, her happy thoughts taking a sudden turn to fear and apprehension.

Carefully gathering the shards, she placed them on a clean towel. Carrying the bundle to the table, she sat down, awaiting her punishment. She could hear Lutfi’s keys rattle in the lock on the front door. Ratna sat silently with her head hung low as he entered the room.

“What is wrong?” he asked, his voice heavy with concern.

Pushing the pile of broken glass toward him, she answered, “Here. You can beat me now. Just do it quickly.”

In Ratna and Lutfi’s culture, the Quranic edict placing men in charge of women was widely interpreted to give a husband the right to strike his wife if she displeased him. A particular superstition regarding broken glass urged men to beat their wives to cleanse the house of demonic influence. As a child, Ratna had witnessed her father beating her mother many times.

Now she sat waiting for her expected due.

Lutfi placed his hands gently beneath her chin, lifting her face to his. “We know a better way now. We do not live by the old law any longer. We live by the law of love. Jesus the Messiah has taught us how to love one another. Do not be afraid. You are my treasure.”

Ratna leaned toward her husband, relief and wonder filling her heart. Jesus had taught them a better way. She was cherished, by her God and by her husband. What God was this who, instead of abandoning women, treasured them?

There is a myth circling the globe that God abandons women, leaving them to the vices of sinful men. #shame #coveredglory #metoo Click To Tweet

Indeed, in the darkest hours of a woman’s life, this myth appears to be as true as the hands that grip her, silencing her voice and filling her with shame.

Original sin has marred humanity, and humans do things to one another that should never be done. God did not ordain this, nor does He stand aloof nodding His assent to cruelty. In the swirling storm of injustice across cultures today, we must anchor ourselves in what is true about God, and that truth is found in the Bible.

The Bible is the source of truth about God’s character and our identity.

The wrongs we have done and the wrongs committed against us do not define who God is. And they do not have to define who we are. #covered glory #insteadofshamehonor #metoo Click To Tweet

• We are a delight to God (Isaiah 62:4-5).
• God is our rescuer (2 Samuel 22:20).
• God treasures you and He treasures me (Deuteronomy 26:18).
• God sent His son Jesus the Messiah to set us free from the captivity of shame and the lies we have believed when others have hurt us (Isaiah 61:1).
• When we place our faith in Jesus, we are filled with power to overcome our past and find a new way to love ourselves and others (2 Timothy 1:7).

Lord, I want to know You more. Show me who You are, and who I am. Amen.

To read more about Ratna and Lutfi’s story, see Chapter 13 in Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, available for pre-order here.