God,

You see what was done in the dark.

You see what was minimized, explained away, or wrapped in “good intentions.”

You see the moments when someone spoke up and wasn’t met with care and the many moments when silence felt safer than truth.

You see every survivor who has carried more than they should have, who learned to survive instead of being protected,

who learned to be quiet instead of being believed, who learned to make themselves smaller so others could stay comfortable.

And You see the ones whose faith was shaken especially when harm happened in spaces that were supposed to be safe,when leaders used Your name but failed to reflect Your heart, when church felt less like refuge and more like betrayal.

For those who stayed but now hold faith more carefully, for those who stepped away because it was the only way to breathe, for those who don’t know what they believe anymore, meet them without judgment.

Meet them with patience where trust was broken.

Walk with them gently where safety was lost.

And honor their questions, knowing You are not threatened by doubt that was born from harm.

Give back what was taken:

their voice,

their sense of safety,

their clarity,

their agency,

their worth.

Be near to the ones telling their story out loud for the first time  and to the ones who may never speak it publicly but still carry it quietly in their bodies.

And God, for those who are listening to these stories; pastors, leaders, friends, family, strangers…teach us how to stay.

Teach us not to pull away, not to defend ourselves, not to rush to fix or explain or protect our image.

Teach us to listen without conditions.

To lead with compassion instead of fear.

To choose presence over position.

To value people over institutions.

Where harm was ignored, bring truth.

Where power was misused, bring accountability.

Where trust was broken, bring repair, even when it’s costly.

For every survivor who was met with silence, distance, or polite dismissal, rewrite that moment  with someone who believes them, someone who doesn’t look away, someone who stays.

Make us safer people.

Make us braver people.

Make us people who can hold truth without turning from it.

Amen

**And for every survivor reading this, whether you still believe,

believe differently, or aren’t sure what you believe at all… 

You are not dramatic.

You are not too much.

You are telling the truth.

And the truth deserves room to breathe.