Your Stuff is Broken

A few weeks ago I began a project that I thought was a good thing. In fact, I truly thought the Lord wanted me to do that good thing. Immediately after I began, one of my tools broke. Next, two needed machines broke down and had to go to the repair shop. Our vehicle (irrelevant to the project) had a problem and needed to go to the shop. Even my weed eater (also irrelevant to the project) died! I was just baffled. I didn’t know what to say to God, other than my fallback prayer, “Help!”

Monday after the tornado, we were in too much shock to come up with any coherent thoughts. Tuesday morning, trying to work on my project with inadequate equipment, I knew what I wanted to say, and I said it, with tears. “God, your stuff is broken.” Tools, machines, vehicle, weed eater, the church building, school buildings, mission houses, friends’ homes. “It’s all yours. Your stuff is broken.”

If “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,” it is all His. We paid for our machines, vehicles and homes with our money. But that was His money and, therefore, His machines, vehicles and homes. Hundreds of our church members and school families have poured their lives, work, money and prayers into the buildings on our church campus. But our lives, efforts, money and even prayers were all His to begin with.

I don’t know if it helps you, but it helps me to point to the things and tell God, “It’s your stuff. It’s broken.” Of course, we knew all along it was His. It’s just nice to think it’s ours when all goes well.  It’s a relief to acknowledge everything is God’s when all is broken. If He could create the whole universe and keep it in motion and still have time to hear our concerns, save our souls, and keep track of the quantity of our hair, I doubt He’s going to pieces over a few machines, or even some large buildings.

Yes, we are the stewards. We put effort into those things, and we are in some ways responsible for them. Yet, we have just seen that we do not have all power; therefore, we do not have all responsibility. We can’t protect our stuff. We can’t even protect our people.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” That about covers it. Earth, everything, and all people. It’s not just our things that belong God. It’s us, too. We are His. We were broken, too. (Dead, actually.) But He wanted us so much He allowed Himself to be broken. On one day in history, everything in the world was broken at the same time – all things, all people, even God the Son. And in a moment, He made all things new. He arose! The broken body became a heavenly body.

Broken stuff is God’s business. He has a bigger plan than we do. He has a bigger plan than we know.

He heals His people. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” II Cor. 5:17 NIV

He heals His things. Almost the last words in His Word are:

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev. 21:5 NIV

We believed Him in the past. We believe Him now. And we will believe Him forever.

 --Lynda Shenefield