The Ad Read: “Furniture Restoration”
A Devotional
© 2001 Steve Lattier and Men's Help Ministries

Looking through the yellow pages I saw an ad for a furniture restorer. I actually didn't give it another thought. Well that is not entirely true I do have a table at home made of some real nice maple and it could use some help. See, it was my parents dining room table, the one I ate at when I was a boy. I can remember one time sitting there completely hypnotized by the dancing flames of the candles on our “advent wreath.” I have a lot of memories of eating at that table, both with the family I grew up in and now the one in which I am parenting. Memories or not, that old table needs some help! It has scratches and dings. The finish has even turned gummy and soft from the thousands of spills and arms that have rubbed on it.. The wood is still good but everything else needs to be reworked. What happens at a furniture restoration shop? Well the first thing is that the refinisher will evaluate what type of finish is there, then that will determine what it will take to remove the old finish. They have a range of removal methods from dipping the piece in hot lye (caustic soda) to a brush applied chemical stripper to blasting it with ground walnut hulls! No matter what it is, it is imperative that the refinisher remove all signs of the old finish before continuing. Once the finish has been stripped down to the bare wood, only then can he move to the next step. Next the refinisher must repair the wood. If there is any damage to the wood he must prepare it accordingly. If it is dinged or dented he will have to fill it to make it smooth again, if it has a splinter then the refinisher must sand it down smooth again. Now the refinisher has a beautiful, smooth, clean surface he can work with. Next, he may put on a stain, to enhance the color of the wood, or he may leave it plain so that it shines naturally. After that, the refinisher will very carefully apply the new finish. He might use clear or tinted, glossy, satin, or matte, just depending on what the refinisher feels will make the wood the most beautiful and functional. What that refinisher does with that old table, God does with us. We get that way too, Christian. Over time and through repeated wear and tear we too can get to a point where we are still usable by God but He needs to refinish us. We may have been caught in the trap of religiosity, or maybe we have suffered abuse and have our own scratches and dings. Perhaps there has been more hurt and your finish has turned gummy and irritable. God can act as our refinisher. First He is going to have to get rid of the old finish…

The Word:
Psalms 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.

Forgiveness is just one way that God can get the old finish off. Not to mention as far as we are concerned the easiest to bear. But God is bigger than our stuff and may just choose to dip you in some stuff to have your finish stripped away, or He might just blast you in a trial of walnut hulls to chip away all your outer layers.

The Word:
1Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. [13] But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. [14] If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. [15] If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. [16] However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

There now you have been cleansed. You are ready to have the repairs done to you. Remember How the refinisher must build up the low spots and dings and sand down the humps and splinters. So then, God will also do that to us, until we are smooth and as good as new. Smooth as glass, that is what a wood artisan can do when sanding a tabletop. Wouldn't you like to be smooth as glass at your very core? You will have to have patience and let God take His time in sanding you smooth. Just like with a wood refinisher who takes and sands the wood with many passes, each time changing to a finer grade of sand paper, God works you over one layer at a time to take out even the finest of scratches.

The Word:
Psalms 25:4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; [5] guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. [6] Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. [7] Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. [8] Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. [9] He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

Getting us right through teaching, That is where we get smooth. Yes, God will forgive us, yes God will send us trials, but we will not be as smooth as glass unless we become educated. An uneducated Christian isn't going to last. They can fall prey to cults and backsliding by believing lies and half truths, that the educated Christian is armored against (Ephesians 6:13). But that table isn't done yet and neither are we. We need the last part the finish. The refinisher sprays on many coats of laquer until it is deep enough to protect but still crystal clear so that we can see all the way to the wood on the inside that had so much effort put into it. Again God is right there in the same fashion

The Word:
Job 8:5 But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, [6] if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place. [7] Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.

God will restore you. He will put you back the way you were, that scripture even says that you will be better and have a better future than you did before. He will spray on enough laquer until you shine enough that He can see his reflection in your tabletop!

Pray with me: Father I am pretty dinged up, my finish is cracked and chipping, I have splinters that people can snag on. I need restoration. I need you Lord, to strip away all my old finish that is no longer useful to you. Clean me up all the way to my wood, repair me and refinish me Father. Polish me until you can see your reflection. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen!

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