Give God The Pieces

When we started our church, we decided to get all our furniture and the things we needed for our church offices at IKEA. My parents came over to help put everything together while I ran around doing other things. I returned later, and my mom handed me a bag of all the leftover parts. At this point, I knew I was in for it. Because you and I both know that when it comes to IKEA, there aren’t supposed to be any leftover pieces.

Life is like this. You do your best and try your hardest, yet you still feel destroyed. Then you come to church and realize all these pieces are left in the bag—painful things that linger, things that maybe you could have done better.

But when you come into God’s Kingdom, when you become a Christian, you learn the language of the Bible and of God’s heart. You stop speaking the language of fear and doubt and worry, and you start speaking the language of certainty. Caleb spoke this language, even though he was surrounded by people who didn’t. He said God would bring them into the land, no matter what. It was a promise.

We’ve all been let down by broken promises in the past. But the promises of God come from certainty, and Caleb knew this. He had seen God’s faithfulness.

What promises does He have for your life? What could you accomplish with Him by your side? You might have convinced yourself that your life isn’t worth saving. Or that you’re too broken or too far gone. Maybe your bag of parts is more like a whole storage unit of missing and broken pieces.

God has the pieces in the bag. Let Him put you back together. It starts with a prayer. When you realize that God is in control, suddenly the pressure is off. Things don’t begin and end with you. You are not the master of your own future! And you don’t have to be afraid.

So pray to Him. Admit to Him that you don’t have it all figured out. That you want His will, not your own. Tell Him that you surrender. You don’t need the right words to say. You don’t need to have your life together. There’s nothing magic about this prayer; it’s the intent that matters. Everything will change for you when you mean the words you say. Bring Him the broken pieces of your life and watch Him equip you for His glory.

Question: What can you accomplish with God by your side? What are the broken pieces left in your bag? Have you given them to God? Do you know He wants to use you?