Repairers of the Breach

FIFTY YEARS AGO , in June 1976, the Teton Dam in Idaho, USA, suddenly gave way. As much as 80 billion gallons of water poured through the breach, flooding thousands of homes and leaving entire communities buried in mud and wreckage. Lives were lost, families were separated, and the hope of repair and renewal seemed far distant.

But almost immediately, another force began to flow—one more enduring than the rushing waters that preceded it. More than 40,000 volunteers arrived from nearby communities with one purpose: to help wherever and however they could. They came to heal, to lift, to strengthen, and to love.

In their own way, they became what Isaiah called “repairer[s] of the breach” 1 —not by rebuilding the dam but by helping restore the lives, homes, and hopes of those suffering. The most urgent need wasn’t concrete and rebar. It was food and shelter. It was faith and prayer. It was what the scriptures call “love unfeigned” 2 —service freely offered with nothing expected in return.

We all experience breaches—unexpected events, disappointments, and tragedies that break through the walls of the lives we’ve tried so carefully to build. And when we look closely at those around us, we discover that they, too, experience breaches. No one is exempt.

And just as a powerful force of love and service flowed into eastern Idaho 50 years ago, so too can we offer our hearts, hands, and support today to those who stand in need. Often, the answer is found in taking action—helping someone do what he or she cannot do alone. At other times, and just as importantly, the answer may be simply to pray for another—not only once, but again and again. Such prayers may be unseen, but their impact is no less real. They can be enough to help repair the breach.

Of course, the ultimate Repairer of the breach is the Savior Himself. Jesus Christ is the Master Healer—the most certain Repairer of all that may have gone wrong or that didn’t turn out right. The Apostle Peter invited us to cast our cares upon the Savior, because the Savior cares for us. 3 As we cast our burdens upon Him, we are assured that every breach will be repaired—in His time and in His way.

Isaiah 58:10–12.2 Corinthians 6:6.See 1 Peter 5:7.