Repair, Not Replace

Thanks to Facebook, I often get prayer requests from friends who need some warriors in their corners, and this week was no exception. A few days ago, an old fried from home sent me a medical prayer request. She is having heart surgery (only 53 years old), and here's her request: let the doctors be able to repair the valve . . . not replace it. Now, I'm not a doctor, but she is a smart woman, and so I am sure she has educated herself to know that this is the best possible route for her healing. As I thought about her and prayed for God to be her Healer, He nudged me with an "a-ha" moment: God is often about the business of repairing, not replacing.

In scripture we are told that God can create in us a clean heart. In other words, He can take the one I have, clean it, and use it for His glory. He didn't say He would get rid of my heart. Just cleanse it and make it more like His. In another scripture, we are told that God refines us, similar to the way silver is refined before it can be used. Silver must be rid of its impurities before it can be considered valuable on the jewelry market. Sounds a lot like repairing to me.

Lately I've become a Gorilla Glue fan. If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and run to Wal-Mart. Gorilla Glue can repair almost anything! My latest and most precious fix-up was when I used it to repair a gift given to me by my precious Timothy. He and his mother gave me a beautiful figurine of a Bible with angels' wings. Not costly or artistically impressive, but deeply important to me because of the hearts of the givers. So when it broke, I ran to the Gorilla Glue cabinet, repaired this sentimental token, and breathed a sigh of relief. So . . . to extend this analogy, God is kind of like Gorilla Glue and Magic Erasers all in one. He can repair anything in my life that is in pieces. He can repair broken friendships and marriages, and He can "glue" pieces together in our lives that seem disconnected but can work together for good. And this isn't all! Like a Magic Eraser which wipes away almost every kind of grime, God is able to cleanse us of all impurities and fill us with His Spirit, strength, and righteousness. But what part do we play in making this happen?

We have to ask in faith. That's it. Not complicated. Doesn't require a committee or a strategic plan. We just have to go to Him with our brokenness and impurities and ask God the Healer to work on our hearts and our messes. We have to give ourselves over to Him, trusting that He knows how to repair us. He doesn't have to replace us. In fact, He doesn't want to do that. He has loved each one of us before we were even formed in the womb. He knew the messes we would be, but He has continued to love us anyway. But here's an important truth: God will sit back and watch us in our brokenness if we never turn to Him. We were designed to be in relationship with Him and to worship Him. If we never seek Him, He often will let us stew in our disasters. He's omnipotent God, but He's not pushy. Our Father wants us to invite Him into our lives, and as soon as we issue the invitation, I imagine that He says, "Well, I've been waiting on you to let me help you. I'm so glad you got in touch.Now, watch what I can do."

Today, invite God into your heart and every corner of your life. After all, He is the God who was, and is, and is to come. Don't miss this: He was with you yesterday, will be with you tomorrow, and He is with you right now . . . today. The God who is. I somehow believe that He and Jesus, who sits at His right hand on the mercy seat, throw a little party when we humble ourselves enough to say, "God, repair me today. Give me Your strength, Your cleansing wave, and Your righteousness. Let me reflect Your glory to everyone in my life, and let me live before the world in a way that makes them want what I have: a Father who never wants to replace me but revels in repairing my cracks and defects. Thank You for loving me so."