Beth M. Broom, LPC-S, CCTP-II
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
The only words that have eternal significance and power are words spoken by God. If we want to see God’s healing work in the lives of trauma survivors, we must place His words front and center in our hearts and in our practice as ministers and counselors. I recognize that wise timing is necessary when quoting and reading Scripture to those who are struggling. But the foundational truth of Scripture must be the ground we stand on at all times.
When I’m thinking about how to talk with my counselees about learning and memorizing Scripture, I start with the character and attributes of God. Does the counselee see God rightly? Does she believe he is all-powerful, full of compassion, and just? Or does she struggle to believe he is good because of the suffering she has faced? Even strong believers can experience confusion and doubt about God’s character when life is troublesome or terrifying. So I seek to understand the counselee’s confusion and doubt so that we can work toward sowing truth into her soul.
For example, my counselee may feel that God is far away from her. She cannot hear him or feel him near. She believes he has abandoned her. The longer she ruminates on this feeling, the more true it will seem to her. So I want to give her space to lament the suffering she is facing. I want her to honestly share her confusing and doubtful thoughts. My goal is not to argue with her till she changes her mind – I find that this method rarely works and leaves us both frustrated. Instead, I join her in her pain.
Then I ask if she’s willing to look at a passage of Scripture and ‘wrestle’ with it. I might read Isaiah 40:11(a): “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms.” I ask, “What happens inside you as you hear this? What thoughts and emotions arise? What might you feel in your body?” I’m opening the door for further lament and honesty. I ask if she’s read this verse before and if it reminds her of anything else she’s read. Is there any sense of comfort in it? Can she picture Jesus holding her like a lamb?
As we explore together, I’m hoping she becomes more comfortable with engaging Scripture in this way. I want her to see God’s words as invitations to come toward him and commune. I encourage her to read the verse every day over the next week and call its image to mind. I encourage her to say a prayer to God about the image she sees. It can be a prayer of gratitude, a request, or simply a statement about who he is.
I want her to build a habit of engaging in Scripture meditation and prayer. She may currently be meditating on thoughts and emotions that lead her away from truth, so we must seek to plant truth in the place of falsehood. This must be intentional. I have many counselees who do not sense that they are ready to engage in this way, so we may start small. But my goal is always to keep placing God’s truth in front of them, inviting them to feast on his goodness. If I can do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), the chances are greater that they will receive the feast with joy.
We have created some Scripture cards that you can print and give to counselees. These cards focus on God’s character and nearness in times of struggle, and they are available to all members of CTHN. Click HERE to view the Scripture cards. If you’d like to learn more about membership with CTHN, click HERE.
