"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
We've had workers in our house hammering, banging, scraping, and fixing things for the past two days. It's been so noisy! I've really missed having my home office to myself and being able to leave when I need to.
In the midst of the clamoring and interruptions, I've been telling myself to be thankful. After all, this work is being done for free as part of our one-year home warranty. The process was optional. We could have let our home warranty expire and waited until things were so broken that we had to do something. But why would anyone pass up having things repaired at no cost?
So, we opted for inconvenience and lots of noise with the promise of our "broken-ness" being fixed.
This morning while I was running, I asked God to help me have a good attitude about all the interruptions. I knew it would help if I had a grateful heart, so I decided to thank God for our home warranty and each item on the repair list.
I thanked Him for helping us notice the leaking toilet upstairs, the gap behind our counter tops, the hardwood floors that started popping, the loose carpet, and creaking stairs. I was especially grateful that He helped me see the hairline fractures in our bathroom, kitchen and laundry room tile, which I almost missed.
My prayers transitioned from my house to my heart as I asked God to show me areas of my life that needed repair. He reminded me of hurt feelings from a difficult conversation, disappointment and broken trust from my son's disobedience, grief for a friend whose husband committed adultery and deep concern for another friend with cancer. I hadn't realized all that was bothering me.
Walking through each room in my heart, God showed me that I had my own brokenness to address. But He also reminded me that like my home-warranty, Christ has promised me a lifetime heart-warranty with unlimited repairs.
As I let that truth sink into my broken places, His comfort came. His Spirit ministered to mine as I exposed my hurts to Him. I remembered Jesus' promise to bind up the brokenhearted as I held up my heart and all that is in need of repair. I finished my run and headed back to the house soon to be filled with repairmen. Just before I got home, I smiled towards Heaven and thanked God for setting His seal of ownership on me, His lifetime heart-warranty, guaranteeing what is to come.
Each day, Jesus invites us to come to His throne of grace with confidence and ask Him to repair whatever is broken in our lives. We don't have to wait for a scheduled walk-through. We don't have to make a list and coordinate any appointments, or even be at home for Him to do the work. We can come to Him with full assurance knowing that He's available right now. Right where we are. With mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.
Dear Lord, thank You for always being there for me, and for promising to make me new, even when I sometimes feel so broken. I pray that You would help me see the ways you are working in my life, fulfilling Your promises to me as I put my hope in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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