Broken

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." -Psalm 147:3

"Mommy, Mommy! Look!" the little girl sobbed. "It's broken. Please fix it!" The plastic princess jewelry set had sustained many hours of hard play, but now the gem-filled necklace had broken and fallen to the floor, causing several plastic diamonds to fall out of their glue settings and one little princess to break into tears. Although it would have been easier to buy another cheap set than to successfully mend this broken piece of plastic, the mother lovingly took the trinket in her hands. With a little hot glue and a lot of heavy tape, the necklace was "as good as new" and a tiara-topped tear-stained little girl smiled again.

How many broken pieces of real jewelry sit in your case waiting to be repaired? Broken chains, broken pendants, broken rings. They sit there, unusable and unappealing in their broken state. Maybe you don't know how to fix them or you are incapable of mending them on your own. Is it time you took them to someone who can and will?

How many broken pieces of your life are waiting to be repaired today? 

Maybe you broke promises you made to others and have failed to mend them, damaging your relationship as a result. 

Is it possible that you have broken the spirit of someone you love because you continually cut him or her down? 

Maybe you come from a broken home or live in one now. 

Or perhaps you have broken ties with family members who have hurt you. 

Have you suffered a broken heart because someone you love betrayed you or did not return your love?

Although you desperately desire healing, you don't know how to fix what is broken. Because we are sinners, we all live in a constant state of brokenness, unusable and unappealing; we are in desperate need of repair. In our sin, we are completely incapable of mending anything on our own. 

It is time to take our broken lives to the only One who can.

Like the little princess, as adopted daughters of the King, we can cry out, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15) 

"I am broken, Daddy! Please heal me; bind up my wounds!" 

Why does God even bother with us in our broken, messed up state? Because we are precious to Him; He treasures us! Out of His great mercy and love, He chooses us in the midst of our brokenness and sin, and He nails those sins to the cross of Christ.

He lovingly takes us in His hands and heals our broken hearts; He successfully mends our broken lives, binding up our wounds. We are as good as new!

By the power of His forgiving Spirit at work in our lives, we can offer the same forgiveness to those who have broken our hearts. 

We can seek restoration from a broken relationship, and we can ask for forgiveness from those whose spirits we may have broken. 

Abba! Father! I am broken. For Jesus' sake, heal me of my sin and brokenness. Bind up my wounds today. By Your grace, I am as good as new. In Your Spirit's strength, enable me to bring the same forgiveness and healing to others. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

From Treasured by Deb Burma © 2010 CPH. Reprinted with permission