Elise has a niece, Hannah. She is the eldest of two daughters of Elise’s sister, Judy and her husband, Howard. Hannah is a wonderful person and got married to a great guy, Andrew, a few years ago. They also had a beautiful daughter about a year ago. Hannah and Andrew’s wedding took place in the middle of COVID. Elise was looking forward to attending the wedding since Hannah was the first of Elise’s nieces to get married. A few weeks prior to the wedding Judy had a milestone birthday and near the end of the party, her and Howard asked to speak to us. They informed us that, due to our vaccination status (I will not address the details of that here) we were not invited to attend the ceremony or reception. Needless to say, this decision created a fairly large rift in the relationship between the four of us. Elise was hurt. But her sister and brother in law were also caught in the middle. Apparently, several others attending the wedding would elect to not attend if we were there. Judy and Howard had to make a very difficult decision. But all Elise and I saw was that her only sister would not allow us to see Hannah get married. The four of us did not speak to each other for several months.
We then got a phone call from them asking if we all could sit down together and clear the air. We met at our house. In person. Not via zoom. It was hard and a bit awkward at first. But we worked through things. We spoke honestly with each other. Cleared up some misunderstandings but we also stood by our convictions when necessary. There was no yelling. No name calling. We acknowledged our political and social differences and came out the other side with our relationships renewed. Elise now turns to her sister to share good news and for a sympathetic ear when things are not going well. All because her sister had the courage to make a phone call in the midst of of broken relationships.
Isaiah 58:12:
Your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins; the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; “Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you, “Restorer of ruined dwellings.”
“Repairer of the Breach” What does that mean? A breach is generally thought of as a break or division in a structure, a promise, a contract or a relationship. One who fixes that disruption is a repairer of that damage. In Scripture we see it with Nehemiah when he returns to Jerusalem after Israel’s exile in Babylon. Nehemiah coordinated the repair of the city and most notably the walls which had provided security. While Nehemiah repaired the physical break in the walls of Jerusalem, Ezra the Scribe addressed the spiritual failings, the breach, in the people’s relationship with God. He stood before the people at the Watergate to the city and read the Torah, the five books of Moses, to the people. He also re-established temple worship. A practice generally lost while the people were in exile in Babylon. He also separated the people from worshipping foreign idols. Ezra helped to repair the covenant, and the relationship, between the Israelites and God.
What about our “breaches”? While we may not have giant holes in the foundations of our homes, most of us have holes in our pasts which can cause as much damage to our souls as to physical structures. Past hurts by families or friends, being bullied as a child, the damage from sexual sin such as pornography or abortion. Unfaithfulness of a spouse. Addictions. Breaches in who we are, who we have become and who God meant us to be. We all sin. We all fail. We all come up short. We can leave these gaps open to fester and grow. Accumulating rubble which obstructs our abilities to even begin to repair what is broken. But we have the ultimate repairer of the breach.
Jesus came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. He came to remove the rubble and to repair the breaches in our hearts and in our souls. There is no building project that is too big for Jesus to repair and to heal. No matter what we have done, He can fix it. We just need to give the task over to Him. To admit that we cannot do it alone. To accept His offer to step in. When Elise’s sister called to ask us to meet and discuss our issues, we could have easily declined because of the hurt we were harboring. But instead we said yes. And it made all the difference. Where is the breach in your life? Who do you need to approach to begin the re-building process? Is it time to repair?
