Redeemed Rubble

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. -Isaiah 49:16

In Isaiah’s day, the Israelites were faced with a city that was only a shadow of its former self. A city that had been conquered and destroyed by an enemy they despised. A city whose walls were broken. A city whose people were beginning to doubt that their God even cared.

But in the middle of this destruction, in the middle of the rubble, the Lord reminds them of something that was so basic, but so difficult for them to grasp. He told them, I see you. I see what you’re going through and I haven’t forgotten you.

So that meant, in the rubble, in the destruction, in the difficulty, God was working.

The past few days, it seems that all I have seen around me has been rubble, destruction, pain, difficulty. It seems everywhere I’ve turned, I’ve watched the enemy conquer and destroy. I’ve watched video after video be released about babies – precious, beautiful, unborn babies – being murdered in brutal ways and sold for a profit by people who can talk about it with less emotion than they talk about the weather. I’ve seen news report after news report of our police forces being killed and disrespected and laughed at. I’ve seen black men kill white men and white men kill black men. I’ve listened to people tell me what “real” love is, when my Savior already showed me what love looks like. I’ve watched a woman be put in jail for standing for her beliefs in a country founded upon religious freedom. I’ve heard news of children being martyred for refusing to deny their faith and can’t help but weep as a think of how scared they must have been, but how brave they chose to be for their Savior.

I listen to our politicians rant about trivial issues and skim over the ones that matter. I find more articles on what the Kardashians are wearing than I do about Planned Parenthood or ISIS or anything else really matters. I watch as America tries to close our eyes and ears to what’s going on around us, desperate to pretend like everything is okay. And I say that because I’m guilty of that very same thing. I’m guilty of surrounding myself with people that make me feel good and feeding myself garbage that numbs my emotions to the reality of what’s going on because when I start to think about it I begin to feel overwhelmed.

Because if I’m honest, I can see that our walls are rubble. The faith that once held them up has dwindled to something so weak that they have collapsed. The prayer and strength and principles that were once such a firm part of everyday life are nowhere to be found and I think we are just a shadow of what we once were.

But God, in His infinite love, reminds His people once again that He has not forgotten them. He reminds me, in my weakness and doubts, in my apathy and laziness, that He sees and He knows.

And I’m reminded that even when it looks like the enemy has triumphed, God is working. Even in the darkest moments, in the deepest pits, in the dirtiest places, He sees us. And our broken walls are continually before Him. And the fact that the Creator of the Universe would see my broken walls, as hideous and useless as they are and choose to look instead of turning away in disgust is something I can hardly comprehend. Because we tend to see broken things as invaluable or too much work or not worth our time. We want to see something whole and perfect. But God is different than us. I think He looks at our rubble and begins to picture what it could be. He sees how it can be redeemed for His purposes.

He sees our walls not for what they were or what they are, but for what they will be. He sees the potential. We try to live in the glory days but the One who holds the future has plans we can’t imagine. And that makes all the difference.