He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
In building a home there are many things you have to do before you can make the start. First, you have to get the land and then sit down to plan the design and type of house you will love to build. Afterwards, you will have to submit your plans for approval. Then you will have to get all the materials in preparation for the construction of the building.
You have to continue seeking God’s will in the process and pressed forward with the construction. You will be overjoyed to see the framing begin to shape your future home. Much to my dismay, when I visited with my friend rapidly rising home in Queens, NY, I found not-so-clean four-by-fours and wood covered in knots and ugly-looking wood that I argued surely couldn’t build the strong house in which he was going to reside. I brought up my observations with my friend and his builder. The builder simply replied to me…
“Patriarch, the more knots there are in the timber, the stronger the wood is.”
Along this process of building the home, and anytime one sought to control or began to give in to any doubt, the Lord would nudge me and say, “Come back to Me.” I couldn’t have heard the words He spoke to my heart more deeply in response to the builder’s explanation. “The more knots are in our lives, the stronger we are.”
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. — Psalm 147:3
I was reminded of every trial, every battle, and every victory that was a mark on my heart, creating a knot and strengthening my spirit. I was encouraged that the knotty beams holding the house upright were similar to the scars that Jesus used to mark me and hold my life upright.
Once you embraced the marred timber, you claimed it in the Lord’s name, inscribing scripture on the framing. You will be deeply moved when, as a final step to seal the inner framework of the home, your construction crew covered the wood with a coat of primer before putting on the planks of board, covering the marks with a clean slate, exactly the way Jesus covered my knots by hanging on the Cross. His blood that was shed was shed for me — all my knots, my sins, my scars. His covering was His righteousness, and what a beautiful picture is that!
The word scar isn’t typically associated with something positive. However, I see things differently now, and I’ve come to value those places in my own life that show up as scars. How can you see some of your own scars as symbols of strength or victory?
Dear God, I know that You have allowed me to walk through fire for Your purpose. Help me not to hide my scars from those battles, but instead wear them with confidence so that all who see me will see Your glory and the victory You promised me. Let my life be to others an example that they may follow the same path that I have taken in knowing who Jesus Christ is and the change He has brought about in my life.
