Binding Up The Broken

We have an old PMU mare that was a rescue. 

I don’t know her whole story, so I don’t know what all she experienced in medical captivity, but it broke her, and not in a good way. She’s skittish and moody. She’s bitten my husband and dragged my daughter. She doesn’t trust people and she’s not rideable. If she hadn’t been rescued, she would’ve been the glue on someone’s envelope. Many would say she’s useless. But she’s not.

She’s not useless because the Lord has used her to teach me how to minister to the broken and abused. You can’t just walk up to her and expect her to respond the way you want. You have to let her come to you. You have to show her your hands and let her inspect them, you have to be willing to wait, you have to be willing to be rejected sometimes or just ignored. Sometimes I brush her, sometimes I just stand in the stall with her and talk to her. But whatever I do, I don’t force her, because I want her to know that I’m trustworthy. I have love and food and care to give to her, but she has to know that it’s safe to take it from me. 

We must understand that there are many people who have to be ministered to in this way. We must understand that there are broken, angry, cynical, and suspicious souls whom God desires to woo to Himself. And He desires to have vessels in His church through whom He can show the broken, angry, cynical, and suspicious that His love, spiritual food, and care are trustworthy and safe to take from Him. 

Oh Lord, may we be such vessels. 

(Ps 147:3-5) He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.

(Ps 145:13b-17) …The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His actions. The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.

(John 6:26,33-35) Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill… For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Therefore they said to Him, "Sir, always give to us this bread." Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”