Our Broken Pieces – Display of His Glory

A lump of coal under pressure becomes a diamond. And the suffering of a person in Christ only turns you into somebody gorgeous. Tim Keller

When we experience brokenness, we experience loss. We may lose hope, joy, dignity, self-worth, peace, time and trust in others. We can even lose our faith in God. But God is a God of restoration and wants to restore what has been lost. This is God’s ultimate plan for mankind. God’s intervention and restoration in the lives of people who had gone through brokenness is seen in the Bible.

We see it in the life of Joseph (Genesis 37,38-45). Joseph had suffered the pain of rejection and abandonment by his brothers, as well as separation from his parents and younger brother. He faced many adversities - he was thrown into a pit by his brothers, sold as a slave in a foreign country, falsely accused and imprisoned. These traumas he experienced caused him to feel hopeless and alone. But God broke through in his despair and restored what the enemy had stolen from him. He restored his dignity and gave him stature and wealth in a country that was not his own. He restored the broken relationship with his brothers and reunited him with his family.

Our Kinsman Redeemer

We see God’s restorative power in the life of Ruth, who had lost her husband, leaving her broken and without the provision and the protection she had while he was alive. When Ruth leaves Moab with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to go to Bethlehem, Naomi’s hometown, God provides a kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, to rescue them. God uses Boaz, a relative of Naomi who had the rightful position to pay the price needed to be their provider and protector (Ruth 1-4). God saw Naomi in her brokenness, her bitterness, emptiness and despair (Ruth 1:20-21) and restored her. God met Ruth in her grief, her loneliness, her insecurity and gave her more than she could imagine -a kinsman redeemer who would become her husband, her provider and protector. God not only restored Ruth and Naomi’s dignity, hope and joy but also their lineage. The lineage that leads to Jesus Christ, our matchless Kinsman Redeemer (Matthew 1:1-17). He is the One who paid the price for us when He died on the cross, so that we can be set free from our brokenness.

Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, our Rescuer, who restores what was stolen and lost. He lovingly leaves traces of His beautiful healing hand as He restores our dignity and self-worth, so that we can reflect His light, peace, joy, and love. Just like the precious metal inlay is displayed in Kintsugi pottery, the traces of His love can be seen as a display of His glory in our lives. A display of His healing and restorative power. A display of His love and grace towards us. A display of His beauty that comes when we surrender our brokenness to our Lord and Saviour.

Jesus lost all his glory so that we could be clothed in it. He was shut out, so we could get access. He was bound, nailed, so that we could be free. Tim Keller

Reflection

Ask God to lead you by His Holy Spirit along the path to His healing and restoration. Think about how God ordered the steps of Joseph, Ruth and Naomi in their brokenness so that He could restore them and display His Glory.

Prayer

Thank You, Lord, that You are my Healer and Restorer. Lord, I surrender my brokenness to You. lead me along the path of healing and restoration that You have for me. Restore my self-worth, dignity and everything I’ve lost so that I can reflect Your light, peace, joy, and love. Let my life display Your glory in Jesus’ name, amen.