On Tuesday my reading for the Lenten season was Psalm.51v1-17. This is David cry for mercy after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. It begins with David praying ::
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Last night the reading for was 1Corinthians.5v20-6v10. Paul reminds us that “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
I find it fascinating that this verse followed the prayer of David.
This is the way of God. To take the broken, the unlikely, the ordinary, the insignificant, the messy and use them to bring His Kingdom to the world.
The Psalm of David reminds us that we are broken. That our nature is contaminated with sin, lust, lies and so many other disgusting things that destroy and divide.
But then Paul reminds us, God uses the weak, the foolish, the dirty, the contaminated to make His appeal…to show the world His everlasting love.
God’s way of doing things is un-conventional.
It’s a breath of fresh air to someone that tries so hard to get it right but falls so short.
It’s a reminder that I might see people as in-significant but God see’s them as a perfect opportunity to do something great.
God is in the business of using the broken to bring about healing.
I pray that we can see the world through this lens. That we can see people the way God sees them. That we can see ourselves the way God sees us.
We are not objects to be disposed of. We are not easily forgotten. We have not been given up on. We have not been pushed to the side. We have not been replaced.
We have been chosen. Selected. Hand-picked. Remembered. Heard. Fought for. Picked up. Pulled in. Wanted. Found.
We are God’s chosen people and we have a mission to show God’s goodness to the world around us. To bring healing to the broken places of this world. To bring hope to the hopeless. To bring light to the dark corners. To give form to the formless. To give to those in need. To reflect God’s heart…and that is a heart that that never gave up on us…but pursued us and continues to pursue us…even the David’s of the world.
