Broken Things
by Gemma Gardner
We have been enjoying a long spell of warm, sunny weather in the UK, and after a long, cold winter, it’s been really good to be able to spend time sitting out in the garden.
I have a small parasol which will screw on to my garden chair, and it gives some good shade when the sun is particularly hot. But one day, as I was unscrewing the clamp to fit it on to the chair, it came apart and fell to the ground in pieces. I felt really upset that I had apparently broken it, and I tried hard to fix it back together. Sadly, nothing I did worked, and so I picked up the pieces and left them on the work surface in the kitchen for my husband, Dean, to look at when he came home. I knew Dean was good at fixing things, so perhaps he could do something with it.
Dean came home later and, yes, you can imagine my joy when he came in the lounge, triumphantly holding the mended parasol. “How did you do it?” I asked. He answered, “I just put it back together”.
I love the above text from Isaiah where the Lord says that He has come to comfort the broken-hearted and release captives. That scripture was so precious to me when I was walking through my own personal healing. I used to wonder if I’d ever truly know what it was to have the peace of the Lord in my heart. I can’t give a time when it actually happened, but I know it has. The Lord’s at work in us, His children, all the time. He’s the only one who can truly mend us. We can try all sorts of things to fix ourselves and to bring some relief, but it will only be temporary. What the Lord accomplishes in us is truly lasting, and will grow better and stronger as we walk with Him. So, if you’re feeling broken and hurting today, I encourage you to bring all your pain and sadness to Jesus and tell Him just how you feel. He understands you perfectly, and He’s merciful and compassionate, and He’ll meet your need.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. You know all about me, the things that have happened, and the pain I carry inside. Others can’t see it, but You do. Lord, I acknowledge my need of Your help, and I thank You for Your promise that You’ll comfort the broken-hearted and release the captives. I trust You to fulfil this promise in my life. Amen.
Gemma Gardner lives in Norfolk with her husband, Dean, who until recently worked at Ellel Grange. They are both part of the Associate Ministry team which Gemma joined after completing the Modular school. Gemma has experienced the Lord`s healing and restoration over many years and longs to see Him healing other broken people. Gemma loves listening to music, cooking, knitting and crochet as well as outdoor exercise. She enjoys playing guitar and singing worship songs.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
