Brokeness

I am not sure of the origin of this, but wanted to share it with all. Received it via email from a friend. I can tell you I know personally about brokenness. It is no a comfortable place to be, but it is a healing place.



Have You Ever Been Broken?
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. These O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17 (NKJV)

The pain and penalty of brokenness is often circumstantial, and even at times self-inflicted. A remorseful result of our own choices and desires that perhaps begin with good intentions but somewhere down the line our lives seemingly veer out of control. To capsulize the preceding thoughts, brokenness is typically a result of two fold sin. Our sin against God or someone's sin or trespass against us that leaves us undone and in need of healing. When we find ourselves broken while agonizing at its beginning, it ultimately becomes the precise place and time where God would have us to be in order to do what only He has the power to do. In fact, He sent Jesus to do just that. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted." Luke 4:18 (NKJV)

This particular Psalm is quite familiar to most of us if not all. Its writing by the psalmist David comes in the wake of David's sins of adultery and murder. One year has elapsed without confession or repentance. David's relationship with God is obviously broken not to mention his own heart and spirit. The pain and agony of his brokenness has come to a point where David has begun to exhibit physical symptoms. "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me, my vitality was turned into the drought of summer." Psalm 32:4-5 (NKJV) David is spent, and left without vitality. His conscience haunts him day and night. Brokenness cannot be concealed or hidden as we may think. It surely cannot be hidden from God. If it is not confronted and cleansed then we cannot be made whole.

When our hearts and spirits are broken, God is not looking for our self-denial, arrogance, or cover up. He is looking for our contrition, which to say a contrite heart. Contrite in the original text means to "crush." By extension it can mean to be "humble." God is the healer and rescuer of one who is crushed in spirit. He also promises to live with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15 (NKJV) He promises to dwell with us in order to revive us. God will meet us just where we are regardless of the circumstances, and will minister to us just the way we are.

God will never despise our brokenness nor hold us in contempt. He knows why we are there and how long we have struggled. He doesn't want us to linger one moment longer. He is waiting to resurrect, reconcile, and restore us to wholeness, but we must come in our brokenness. It is our chance to receive an outward demonstration of His healing grace and His chance to make us all over again. "Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still." Adeliade A. Pollard (1902)