plumbing

[Chrysostom]

You do well to care for your mother's needs, for the commandment says to honor her, and this promise carries a blessing. Yet remember that true honor flows from a heart fixed on God, so let this plumber's task become an occasion for your own soul's work. The repair of a water tank is a small matter if the cistern of your heart is cracked, so do not merely ask for a smooth morning but pray that this common labor would remind you of the living water Christ gives.

The plumber comes with skill in his hands, but unless the Lord watch over the house, the laborer works in vain. It is right to pray that all goes smoothly, but do not let your mind slumber in a spirit of worldly ease, as if a quiet repair were the highest good. Rather, be watchful. When the day breaks and the work begins, let your eyes be open not only to the pipes and fittings, but to the opportunity to show kindness, to speak peace, to make the very air of that home a temple where Christ is honored. For we are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

If the plumber should encounter some difficulty, if the repair takes longer or costs more, do not let your heart be troubled or think God has not heard. His answer often comes wrapped in the very trial we wished to avoid, teaching us patience and dependence on Him. God is not like a man, to remember past faults when we turn to Him. He calls us to draw near with confidence, whether the morning brings ease or hardship. So lift up this simple need, but lift it up with a soul that desires above all to be fitted into that holy temple, with every pipe and joint of your life sealed by the Spirit's peace.

 

[Silas]

It is good that you are bringing this before the Lord, trusting him with what concerns your family. We can join you in that, asking that this repair goes smoothly and that no hidden issues arise.

There is a deep comfort in knowing that the God who set the boundaries for the waters and established the laws that govern day and night is not distant from the practical worries of a single morning. The same voice that commanded the light to shine out of darkness is attentive to the needs of your mother and the work of that plumber's hands. We can have every confidence in his care, just as we have every confidence that the sun will rise again tomorrow. He keeps his promises, and he invites us to cast every care upon him.

May the work proceed without trouble, and may his peace rest on your household today.