“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” – Psalm 103:2-5
For my sophomore year at college, my mother made me a queen-sized patchwork quilt. Made of pink, green, yellow, white, and blue pieces, this fairly thin covering has surprisingly kept me warm for nearly thirty years. Maybe it’s the love or prayers that went into stitching it together, I’m not sure. But to this day, if that quilt is not on my bed, I can’t get warm enough to sleep.
Yeah, I know, I sound like the female version of Linus and his blue blanket…oh well.
As expected with time and usage, this old quilt has collected some rips, tears, and lost stitches. It’s not at the point of being unusable, but a little extra handling care was in order. Recently, I really looked at it and decided to repair as best I could. Needle and thread in hand, I pulled frayed pieces close and stitched them up. Suffice it to say, the stitching isn’t pretty, and it’s very noticeable. Why after all this time it never dawned on me to fix the rips when they were smaller, I don’t know. What I do know is that every pass of the needle through the material was symbolic of what the Lord has done for me personally and for others:
He stitched us back together. However, His stitch is so perfect that none of us look like there was anything torn or broken within us. With His awesome, beautiful handiwork, we don’t look like what we’ve been through.
Think about it: this year we have experienced rips and tears that could have completely unraveled us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. The fabric of our society, already stretched by the ever-present effects of hatred and fear, was pulled apart in ways few of us thought would happen in our lifetime. The hopeful expectation of 2020 being the year of vision became tattered and torn by calamity after tragedy after catastrophe.
This year, more than any other, has been a trip, leaving us much like my old quilt. And yet, there are only two words I can say to that:
But God.
See, despite all that was going on, the Lord has been putting us back together, working in the background and at the forefront. We don’t look like:
a. Salary reductions or job loss, because bills were still paid, food still in the pantry, and a new job was waiting for us
b. Broken relationships, because a single text or phone call opened a path to reconciliation
c. Sickness and disease, because our God is a healer, and it is His report that we believe
d. Depression, because the joy of the Lord has held the darkness at bay
e. Anxiety, because God took the cares we cast on Him and is handling them with so much ease
Every piece of our lives that was ripped, the Lord has repaired. Every seam that was stretched, God has strengthened. Every part that went missing, He has made new. His is truly the perfect stitch, and I’m just glad He loves us enough to make us whole in heart, mind, and spirit.
I don’t know about you, fam, but I can’t wait to see how and what the Lord does in 2021. I expect The Great to do great things for you, and for me.
Happy New Year, everyone.
Prayer: Lord, it has been a year. Still every time we thought “This is it”, or “Can’t handle this”, but You, Lord. But You, who stepped in and did more than we could ever ask or think. For every tear of sadness, You gave us tears of joy. For every sigh, You gave us multiple reasons to sing Your praise. For every bad moment, You showed up with Your goodness and showed out with Your grace. Thank You, Lord, for all that You have done. I pray that You keep doing what You do best in 2021, and all the years to come. And for the person who is waiting for that breakthrough, believe that it is coming. Your waiting is not in vain. Amen.
Ask, Seek, Knock 