Psalm 51:17
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
It has recently become clear to me that God reveals Himself to the broken in spirit. I had to be broken by a variety of circumstances before I could hear His Holy Spirit calling me back to faith. Since then, I have seen many broken lives put on the mend by a new or renewed faith in Jesus Christ. It’s amazing how many spiritual experiences you have when you are not surrounded, overwhelmed, or inundated with the things of this world. Money, good times, and pleasures of this world oftentimes keep people from experiencing and pursuing their spiritual lives. It can be a good thing when bad things happen…at least in the long run.
If one is not sensing God moving in and through their life, it is time to get back to basics. Those basics include a humble and contrite spirit. They often entail getting down flat on our faces wherever we are before an Almighty God and submitting to His Spirit and HIS will for our lives. He wants people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. This spirit is not haughty or self-glorifying. This spirit isn’t about seeking something from God…but more about what are you willing to offer Him, remembering that we can never outgive God since he has given us our very lives to live.
God prefers broken worship to the loud shouting or proclamations of a proud soul. God is near the broken-hearted and humble in spirit. How broken are you today?
What does it take to be broken-hearted? Its when bad things happen or we are overwhelmed by the evil and darkness around us that our spirits and hearts become broken. It is to feel the pain of our brother or sister, to cry with those who mourn, to see and feel the hungry and the poor. It is to allow ourselves to feel the pain and sorrow of those around us. It is not fun. It is not joyous. Just as Jesus felt the weight of a sinful world on his shoulders the night before his crucifixion, we too should at times feel and share the terrible darkness and pain our friends or loved ones feel while never forgetting the darkness He rescued us from.
They say broken bones usually heal to be stronger where the break was than before it was broken. I would say this suggests that the more suffering and darkness we live through in this broken-down world, the stronger we will be when we heal or overcome the darkness. For some, healing will only come at the end of their physical lives. Those who have suffered much will be stronger and more elated than the rest of those who never suffered or were protected from pain. We who have been saved from and endured much devastation in our lives are more thankful than those who have had it relatively easy. Most people don’t know their true spiritual condition until adversity or crisis hits.
The Bible says God will never test us beyond what we are able to withstand (1 Corinthians 10:13). Those whom He has given more adversity to withstand…whether it is poor health, poverty, hunger, addictions, or sinful temptations…will be stronger and have a better understanding of these truths when they break through than those who sense they are “blessed” or protected from such circumstances. Those with the most scars will have the most to be thankful for when deliverance comes.
God hates pride and laughs at those created humans who deem themselves as not needing God or count themselves as gods. He hates falseness of all kinds, even to our not being true to ourselves. We lie to ourselves all the time, and it pains our God. Of course, Satan is very real and the father of lies.
This life is a battle and testing ground for what is to come. We learn in this life the penalty of sin and the joy of forgiveness. We are always but seconds away from our final breath and we are to be thankful for each one…even in the midst of grief or sorrow. Life’s purpose is to learn along with the Apostle Paul when he said, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).
There is a time for all seasons under the sun. There is a time to mourn and weep. We should embrace all of that. There is also a time to rejoice and be happy. We should not despise those who do and are. The key is to understand that the whole dynamic of sorrow to joy, poverty to prosperity, good times and bad times, are all meant to be part of our human experience. The main difference for those of the true faith is that regardless of what we are going through…broken or built up…it is all to experience the power of God and give glory to our Lord and Savior. When we are truly living in this understanding, there is nothing man can do to us to affect our status in life.
Even when we are broken, humbled, or overcoming sin…we are loved and have the hope of eternity with God. This life is but a brief “testing ground” to teach us all in the light of eternity. We are called to live for that reality…not simply for our mortal bodies or pleasures which are for just a little while.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (Romans 8:35-39)
After all, as Larry Norman’s song from the 70s states, “we are just visiting this planet”. Don’t get too used to it here or let it take you down.