Broken pieces. I think everyone at some point feels like all they have are broken pieces. I’m not sure what you are coming in with as you find yourself here today. Maybe you feel like you have gone too far. Maybe your faith is barely aflame in one small ember. Maybe you have been given one last chance in that job or relationship. Maybe you have tried to build things in your own strength just to realize it’s crashing down again. I do not know the exact nature of your brokenness, but the Father does and he wants every single piece.
How do we respond to our brokenness? I can say for myself that I tend to try to take control and fix it. I find myself covering up what the Father already knows and trying to hide from him. Why is it that we tend to hide from the very One who died for our brokenness in the first place, from the only One who can change and restore us? If we know the Father is Love and full of grace, why do we still hide? Perhaps it is because we feel we can earn His love and relationship.
Let’s take a look in Scripture… In the garden, Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and felt the weight of their brokenness for the first time. Yet, even before the first bite, the Father had a plan for redemption. Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was “slain from the creation of the world” (NIV). Before the sin was committed, Jesus was the planned sacrifice. Before the veil separated God and man, Jesus was the bridge that would tear it.
Like with the prodigal son, the Father, already knowing our struggles, desperation, and weakness, welcomes us with open arms and love that surpasses all understanding (Luke 15:20). This is the heart of the Father for every one of us. He sees us. His response does not dampen with time or the number of mistakes. He does not grow weary in our failings. He is unwavering in His love for us.
This may be hard to receive because the world is the opposite. We get rewarded and punished by behavior. One wrong move can ruin a relationship, a job, a career, a reputation. However, in the kingdom of God, “mercy triumphs over judgement” (James 2:13, NIV). His mercy, love and grace do not have an expiration date.
The beauty of our Father is that he delights in using the broken and weak to build his kingdom. He says his “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). May this be a reminder today that nothing you can do, no mistake or even great act for God will alter the way He feels and thinks about you. He already knew your struggles and failures beforehand, and this did not change his decision to die for you, have relationship with you, and to use you. He is the only one who can create a masterful mosaic out of our scattered pieces. May our hearts be open to running to the Father today in our brokenness and allow him to use it for his glory, like only he can, to build his kingdom.
Build Your Kingdom | First15 Worship feat. Emily Huffaker
