And God turned it around!!

By Helen Jesze, 2020

‘Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” ‘ says the Lord.

Romans 12:9 NIV

This week I was thinking of Hanni*, a lady I got to know when we lived in Germany, who came to speak at one of my “Women’s Aglow” rallies. She had a wonderful testimony of how God turned around great difficulties in her life, and proved the power of his love in an amazing way.

Coming to faith in Jesus as a child, Hanni and her teenage boyfriend felt God was calling them to the mission field, to India. He started to train as a doctor and during the first four years of their marriage, they had four children. After a while, her husband lost interest in spiritual matters and stopped going to church.When Hanni came home from the hospital, a few days after giving birth, her husband said, “I just want you to know, I have a girlfriend, one of the nurses. She is now my ‘wife’, you are only the mother of my children. I shall bring her to see you and the children three times a week, and you are to treat her with every courtesy, as though she is an honoured guest!” He packed his bags and left.

Hanni was devastated, and in the following weeks, on the days they visited, she trembled and felt she was crumbling inwardly and knew her strength was at an end. God showed her that human love was not enough and she needed Agape love as in 1 Corinthians 13. She told us:

‘Excited about this new perspective, I had the feeling as if I had to go out under the sky and cry out to God. So I walked for hours through the meadows and woods, and cried to God for this love. Then I sat down on a milestone, and looked up into the star-filled sky; something strange happened. I had the feeling that the fulness of the love of God and compassion was showered down on me like a stream. Tears ran down my face and it was as if all the human, covetous love which had threatened to break under all the wounds and humiliations was transformed into a love which was not suffering because of two people, but because of two people who were trampling God’s laws under their feet.

*name changed

Suddenly I felt something of the pain that Jesus feels. Although I had recently longed for the love of my husband, yet this love which was coming to me from Jesus was incomparably greater. The situation did not change, in fact the opposite happened. But every time when I knew that this woman was coming, I went beforehand down on my knees and spoke with Jesus, saying, “Lord, I am kneeling with you in Gethsemane, where you decided to forgive your murderers, please fill me now with your love.” Then afterwards when we met, it was as if a protecting wall had been put up, and no darts could penetrate it. This meant that my heart was not wounded and I was at peace. After 9 months the woman did not come any more. Ten more dramatic years followed. I received almost no financial help, but experienced the faithfulness and care of my Heavenly Father.’

Hanni received anonymous death-threats; she was poisoned and broke out in terrible sores but God healed her; when she came home one day all the electric cables had been ripped out of the walls, and stones from the new patio were broken. One night when they were in bed, the telephone rang and a friend excitedly said, “Hanni, what’s happening at your house? I can see angels all around it!” Hanni replied that her husband was walking round outside the house, shooting into the air with a rifle. God kept them from all harm.

A wonderful group of Christian friends prayed and helped her in other ways, but there were some who could not understand that Hanni would not give her husband the divorce he wanted. She was still believing God to restore her marriage. Then her husband spread rumours through the village that the children were not from him and this seemed the last straw. Hanni cried in desperation, “Lord, do something! This is too far, I am your child he is slandering!” Not long after, God stepped in and put an end to this. Hanni’s husband was found dead in the swimming-pool. Although not ill before, he had died from a heart attack, aged 40.

Although he had caused her so much suffering, Hanni cried for weeks, so great was her love and forgiveness for this man. Her favourite Bible verse was Romans 8: 38+39, that nothing could separate her from the love of Christ! God had turned the situation around and peace came to the family. Several people had warned Hanni that her children would come to no good, but they all became Christians, studied, married Christian partners and are serving the Lord. God has used Hanni’s testimony to help hundreds of women and families, as she chose to not seek revenge but let the power of forgiveness and the love of God rule in her life.

I want to encourage you today. Perhaps you are in a situation where you are suffering unjustly, are even in danger; you may have been humiliated, broken and crushed by someone you loved.! If God can do it for Hanni, HE CAN TURN IT AROUND FOR YOU TOO, and bring you out into peace and victory!