Brokenness

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Feeling broken, being broken absolutely SUCKS. But with the human heart considered, brokenness is better than the strong, firm hold of something that hasn’t been crushed and bruised at the feet of an Almighty God. Broken is scary and sometimes ugly, but it is at this place that God meets us.

It is unpleasant to think about and even more difficult to talk about. Yet, brokenness is so valued by God, that He repeatedly mentions it in His Word. Some of the best promises to be found in Scripture are intertwined with brokenness. God loves brokenness and its accompanying humility. It draws Him near to us, and us to him, like a magnet and metal.

Brokenness beckons His attention and moves His hand. He becomes actively involved in the lives of the brokenhearted. He comes to bind up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). He gives them His Kingdom...for He can trust them with it (Matthew 5:3).

Brokenness is the irony of Christianity.

• What is weak is strong.

• What is last is first.

• What is broken is whole.

However, hearts are a different matter altogether.

The brand new bottom of perfume falls to the floor, scattered in broken pieces. The car is wrecked; will never be the same. The heart is broken; it seems as though it will never be the same again. Relationships are destroyed; tears keep falling. Life gets hectic, yet I feel so so alone.

In disbelief we face two choices: wasted or restored. When facing our personal brokenness, any hope of restoration often eludes us. It seems safer to accept the loss, unaware of God’s hand in brokenness.

God calls us each of us according to His purpose, assuring us that in all things, His goodness endures.

All throughout His word, God talks about brokenness.

As our walk with God grows, our burden of guilt is broken: Leviticus 26:13: “I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high”

Praise God for the countless times He has delivered us from our enemies: Psalm 124:7—“We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!”

By surrendering our stubbornness and arrogance, He accepts our brokenness and hears the prayers of the righteous: Psalm 34:18—“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit”

Those who trust in the Lord receive inner peace, as His brokenness satisfies God’s price for our sin: Isaiah 53:5—“But he was wounded and broken for our sins . . . and we were healed!”

Brokenness represents God’s authority over all other kingdoms. A mighty hunter Nimrod, tried to build a monument of human achievement above God (Genesis 11:1-4). As a result, the Babylonian people were broken apart. Centuries later, the Babylonian kings, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, felt the crushing judgment of God’s wrath (Daniel 4:28-33). Both kings experienced the most high God (Daniel 4:17-34). Even today, Babylon still represents an economic and political system that compromises God’s will and His Word. We must guard our attitudes and actions; otherwise we also risk the consequences.

Through brokenness, we understand sacrificial love. Mary offered the broken vial of expensive perfume to express her devotion to Jesus (John 12:1-3). Jesus, the Bread of Life, broke and multiplied the loaves illustrating none would go hungry (Matthew 14:19-20; John 6:35).

Through His brokenness, God also demonstrated three encouraging displays of His love for us:

• A love that breaks: Matthew 26:26-- “Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God’s blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it and eat it, for this is my body”.

• A love that endures: John 19:36-- These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken.”

• A love that remembers: 1 Corinthians 11:23-24: The Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me”.

If God Himself can be broken on my behalf, who am I to think that I shouldn't be broken only to be made whole again solely for HIS glory?

Instead of looking up from a human perspective and asking why, I have learned to ask God to show me His perspective. It tends to be divinely opposite to mine. And therefore so much better.

He is near to the brokenhearted.

It may not feel like it, but God’s Word is truer than our feelings and human senses. His Word is truer than our circumstances and situations. No matter what they are. Our trials can be a loving tool in the hands of the Great Restorer to draw us close to Him, so He can bind up our wounds, heal us, and revive us again. My brokenness, held before the Lord, is a heartfelt invitation to God that ensures His nearness and His active hand in my daily life.

“My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
****That is why Gideon needed only 300 men to rout an army of thousands.
****That is why Moses, with his hands outstretched to the Lord in the presence of His enemies, was able to cause the defeat of that enemy and the parting of an entire sea.
****That is why a small boy named David was able to kill a lion, a bear and a giant.
****That is why David’s three mighty men were able to penetrate the camp of the enemy.
****That is why Joseph was elevated from the depths of a prison to the rank of second in command in Egypt.
****That is why Jehoshophat needed only a handful of worshippers to defeat an army of 100,000 men.
****And that is why Jesus needed only 12 men to turn the world right side up.
****And that is why I made it through Phonetics

When I find myself hurting, misunderstood, discouraged, despised, and grieving, I am so tempted to roll up in a ball and just cry (and please don’t think that I never cry; nothing could be further from the truth). Instead, I choose to be encouraged. I am walking the path of my Savior, who loves me more than I can comprehend. He is near, closer than I can know. I rest in knowing He is coming soon to bind up my wounds. To heal, to revive. I am okay with being broken if it means I am closer to my Savior than I have ever been.

At my worst, He is still working to make me His best. And let's face it, that's better than anything I could ever fathom. Because that's the way My God works.

Jesus, when I realize the hurts, discouragement and grief that You endured in Your mission to redeem me, I am overwhelmed. You were familiar with much grief. I know that Your heart still breaks over the hardness of man’s heart toward You. I ask You to break my heart with what breaks Yours. I bring the pieces of my brokenness and wounded heart to You. I ask that You come and bind up my wounds. Cleanse my hands; cleanse my heart. And make me wholly devoted to You.