And how exactly does this work?

Last week our church held special prayer services Monday through Friday at three different times.

Each day prayers were directed toward a particular place of brokenness to which we invited God to enter in and do what only He can do.

We started out with the nations and moved each day closer to home until finally on Friday we offered our own personal brokenness up to Him.

And the songs and the words of the prayer leader called this a pleasing offering to the LORD.

Laying down the places in my heart and life where my own sin, or the sin of someone else, or just the fallout from the fall has shredded me and left me ragged and ruined…and that this…is what makes up an offering that a perfect and holy and righteous and wonderful God like our God would lean forward and notice and receive.

I think how when I want to show someone my affection; I work so hard to make something beautiful to offer.

I search for just the right thing…the thing that I know he or she would love…something  mentioned to me in passing or something I have noticed about this one’s taste and style…

and I want to wrap it in the loveliest of colors tucked in a perfection of tissue with the best of ribbons, so that person knows when the gift is offered that I understand what is pleasing to the eye and soul of the one I hope to honor.

So when you tell me that to lay down the deepest places of sorrow and repentance and grief and pain as an offering…it seems a rather unsightly and pathetic gift to offer to the God of all Creation.

And then I get it…

the bruised and bloodied parts of me are why He came.

And when I quit trying to hide them until I can make them acceptable…pretty…fixed…

for they never will be so if left in my hands…

and I lay them down in all their mess of ugly…

He sees that I truly know His heart…

and believe His invitation to come.

It is my brokenness that He wants to take away and it cannot be taken away unless it is laid down.

And we can only lay down that which we offer to Him.

And on the altar all things are made clean and pure.

So come to the altar…bring all the broken parts of you and yes, believe that He will receive those precious shattered pieces with grace and mercy.

I am adding a link to a song that sums this up beautifully here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXxLwxfo0U

But sometimes…my tech linkology doesn’t work very well…so if you can’t open it, google youtube Come to the Table from Sidewalk Prophets.

 

Have a blessed day.

<3