Life leaves us shattered sometimes.
We lose someone we love deeply … and we are shattered! Everything about who we used to be is shattered in a million pieces!
The divorce leaves us shattered! The pieces of our life are in a broken jumbled heap! In the dumpster!
The sickness leaves us shattered! The person we used to be is forever gone … shattered in a million pieces!
We give our heart and our love to people … and they drop it! Shattered!
We give our trust to people … and they drop it! Shattered!
The concrete tiles made a terrible shattering sound as they smashed down from way up high.
This is the way we sound as our shattered heart weeps and cries!
We feel raw! … and bare! …
… and vulnerable! … and exposed!
But God is doing something new.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19
God will not leave us shattered!
God will restore us. God will remake us. God will rebuild us.
Who we used to be is forever gone.
But God is making us into something new.
Who we will be going forward will not look anything like who we used to be.
But it’s a process. It will take time.
Slowly … day-by-day … bit-by-bit.
Everything about our life will feel rattled in the process. The “pictures on the walls” of our life will be rattled! The “dishes in the cupboards” will be rattled! The “windows” of our life will be rattled!
We will feel shaken to our very foundation!
But our foundation is steadfast! Our foundation is Jesus Christ!
“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the strength of my salvation.
“I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved. The cords of death [aka: shattering!] entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me.
“In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. … He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me.”
– Psalm 18:1-6; 16-17
Throughout the process, there will be so much “noise”!
“Noise” of “crowbars & hammers” … as old parts of who we used to be, which need to go, are pulled up and carried off.
“Noise” of “air compressors & saws” … as new “pieces” of our life are fashioned and introduced into place.
“Noise” of “blowers” … as the “wind” of the Holy Spirit continually and constantly blows off all the debris and junk which don’t need to be in our life.
“Noise” of “nail guns” … as God anchors down new foundational plywood.
And we surrender. We sit still … and surrender to what God is doing.
As the “noise” continues to pound! … and hammer!
And as “construction materials” and “debris” are scattered everywhere throughout our life!!
We wait on God. And trust that He’s got us!
We trust that He will cover us!
We trust that He will remake us!
We trust that He will sustain us … one . day . at . a . time.
“Now this is what the LORD says – he who created you, he who formed you: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
“When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
“When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze.
“For I am the LORD, your God … Do not be afraid, for I am with you.’”
– Isaiah 43:5