Puzzles

     Have you ever felt overlooked or unimportant? Have you ever thought to yourself, "God doesn't need me. I have no talents that God could possibly ever use."? If you have, I want you to consider a puzzle piece.

     I am sure you are familiar with puzzles. A lot of the pieces have easily recognizable images on them, maybe an ear or a nose, a chimney or a sea gull. A lot of the other pieces, however, have basically nothing on them, they may only have grass, or sky, or water. If you only have one piece of a puzzle and all it has on it is blue sky, you will have no way of knowing what the whole picture is. You may even think, "This piece has nothing on it. I don't need it." If you put the puzzle together without that piece though, it will be obvious to all who see it that something is missing. That piece, you thought unimportant, is now vital. Without it, all you notice is its absence.

     Your part in God's plan may be like that puzzle piece. On the surface it may look unimportant, but without it you can't complete the puzzle. No person is unimportant to God. Your piece is the most important because it is the one that completes the picture.

Whiter Than Snow

     "You are the man." The words echoed in the stunned silence. Surely Nathan wasn't pointing the finger of blame at King David. Surely David wouldn't stand for this, not in his own court, not David who had stood up to Goliath. The crowd looked expectantly to the throne, awaiting the wrath of this powerful king; only to see...tears. Tears? Yes, those were tears on the cheeks of the king. David's words were not full of wrath and accusations but of repentance. They can be found in Psalm 51.

 ¹ Have mercy on me, O God, 

   according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion 

   blot out my transgressions. 

² Wash away all my iniquity 

   and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions, 

   and my sin is always before me. 

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned 

   and done what is evil in your sight; 

so you are right in your verdict 

   and justified when you judge. 

⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, 

   sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 

⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; 

   you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; 

   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; 

   let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 

⁹ Hide your face from my sins 

   and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, 

   and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence 

   or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation 

   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, 

   so that sinners will turn back to you. 

¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, 

   you who are God my Savior, 

   and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 

¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, 

   and my mouth will declare your praise. 

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; 

   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit; 

   a broken and contrite heart 

   you, God, will not despise.

 ¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, 

   to build up the walls of Jerusalem. 

¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, 

   in burnt offerings offered whole; 

   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

     A lot can be learned from David's repentance. He doesn't make excuses and he doesn't try to lessen his guilt. He simply lays his guilty body before the Lord and begs for the Lord to wash him whiter than snow.

     When your Nathans come saying, "You are the man." and they will come, don't get defensive and don't strike out at your accusers. Instead read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer and God will hear. For just as God still had plans for David, god still has plans for you. God merely needs your repentance.