There once was a house on a hill that had received damage over time from the wind, rain, hail, and snow. The foundation was sinking because the ground underneath had been shaken by the weight of the load put on it. A construction team came out to survey the house to see if the run-down house was salvageable. Upon further inspection, the house was considered too damaged to be worth the hassle of restoring, so it was labeled condemned.

            The original builder though, did not focus on the crumbling surface of the exterior, but rather looked to the bones of the interior. The building had withstood the elements and was still standing. Weighing the risk against the rewards, the lead builder chose to restore the house to its former glory.

            The builder pulled up the weathered floorboards, tore down the crumbling walls, and restabilized the ground to restore the sinking foundation. Once the builder was done the house was restored to a state that could withstand any storm it would come across. Even though many still believed he was foolish for taking a risk on something condemned he found value in the house and continued to work on it.

            We are the same as the house.

            The enemy has come to kill, steal, and destroy through addiction, mental health, pride, etc., by which the world labels us as condemned. The enemy uses the masses to make us think we are worthless, unrepairable, too far gone.

            However, God comes in to say. YOU ARE MINE!

             the eyes of the world, taking a chance on the condemned is reckless, foolish, a risk.

Ephesians 2:1-4 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-

3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

Like the Builder, He is, God continues the work He started in us from the beginning.

Ephesians 2: 5-21

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

God comes in to restore the situation, but in order to do that he needs to break ground in us.

He needs to pull up the old, weathered boards out from under out feet. Sometimes he accomplishes this by relocating us, because we can get too comfortable where we are, so he must make us uncomfortable in order to grow.

God must remove the crumbling walls in our lives; sometimes this comes through the absence of financial stability, a job change, the loss of certain friends or loved ones, in order to make room for the people who will sharpen and prepare you for where he is calling you next and to continue his work in you.

He has to establish a new foundation by teaching or reminding you to stand in the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Some of us had that foundation established early in our lives, but we have forgotten his promises, so he has to remind us.  Sometimes, he has to pour a whole new foundation for us to stand on, so we don’t sink in the sand.

Do the trials that God allows us to go through hurt?

Yes!

Can it feel overwhelming?

YES!

But instead of asking. “God, why?” Try asking... “God, would you reveal yourself to me in this… I know you have my story all laid out and you are completing a work in me, so lead me through this, and give me the eyes to see your plan as I make this journey.”

You must first break ground before you can build or restore anything. In my life I have had to go through hard seasons and trials that have hurt. While I didn’t know where God was in those moments, I can now look back and see that he was in everything, orchestrating everything perfectly to lead me through to the good moments, like right now… The fingerprints of God are real.

1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

So, if you are going through a difficult season… Trust God! Put on your hardhat and let him walk you through the construction zone of your life. Because he knows infinitely more than us.

This week’s verse to pray through:

Psalms 51:12 (ESV)

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Resources:

Works Cited

The Holy Bible English Standard Version. Crossway.

MacDonald, William, and Arthur L. Farstad. Believer’s Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

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