Influencers Weekly Devotional

The Joy of Brokenness by

Rocky Fleming

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;?a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.”

Psalms 51:17

I’ve been a follower of Christ for over 60 years. But, I’ve likely been a disciple of Christ for only about the last 20 years. There is a difference in being a follower and a disciple. The key difference I have observed in the two is brokenness. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about brokenness. For instance, there are some followers of Christ who live with a great deal of pride, and brokenness escapes them. These followers would likely say they would prefer it that way, for their idea of brokenness would require them to live a defeated life. They would say that brokenness is a result of some kind of humiliating failure, and they want to avoid this at all costs. Not understanding what true brokenness is, causes them to clinch down on their effort to control their life to avoid the pain of failure. This in turn creates an idol of self-sufficiency. When this happens, they are at odds with the God Who said there must be no idols before Him, and this often leads to a shattered life, which is what they had hoped to avoid. I will repeat: When we have idols in our life we are moving down a path that will lead to a shattered life. What’s the difference between a shattered life and living with brokenness? It is two very important things --- healing and joy. Brokenness is a result of coming out of a shattered life, and within the perspective of brokenness and the countenance it produces, a man who God greatly delights in emerges. Brokenness is a blessing and is something we should seek, even if it requires that our life be challenged with a perceived failure. These failures are often God's way of redirecting our life through the tearing down of those idols I speak of, and it will lead to an unspeakable joy that God wants us to have, and a life that honors Him and fulfills us. There is another example of a misunderstanding about brokenness, and it is the idea that brokenness requires that we live with a downtrodden spirit. Those who have this perspective are being mislead and are misleading others. They may be living with the pain of a shattered life. But God wants them to move beyond this place and not stay there. If they think remaining in this shattered state is what God wants for them, they do not know their good Shepherd's heart. He wants them beyond this place. So, do not be misinformed. This is not brokenness you are seeing in this person. It is a shattered person who has not found the healing that brokenness can bring. Until they move to brokenness, they will never find the joy that could permeate their life, and their shattered life will never heal. How do we find this brokenness, and why does God value it even greater than a sacrifice? To be clear, this sacrifice He was speaking of includes all the good things that we give to God such as, our tithe, our service, our faithful church work, you name it and it includes it. So, it must be something of great value to God, wouldn’t you think? To understand why it is so important to God, we need to understand first what brokenness produces: Why would God want brokenness in our life? Consider if you will that a delicate porcelain pot is generally fragile. Therefore, it must be handled with care or it might get broken. Should it be broken, there is a choice by the owner to either glue it back together or to discard it. When it is glued back together it generally turns out looking like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and it loses its beauty. Because the pot was shattered and will never return to the beautiful form it once had, someone who valued it because of its external beauty alone often discards it. However, every now and then an owner will take the time to put the pieces together. Sure the pot is not attractive as it once was, but it is still functional, and in some ways it is stronger than it was before it was shattered. Another thing happens, and this thought connects to what is of great value to God. Because it has lost its external attractiveness, the pot no longer draws attention to its external beauty, but rather its contents. People don’t declare how beautiful the pot is, but rather how wonderful the tea that’s in it is. In the same way, when God puts a shattered life back together, there is greater external strength and internal beauty. But, best of all the brokenness in this person draws attention not to his wound or his struggle, but rather to his King, and the victory and healing to his shattered life that God has given to him. The pieces of this shattered life have been reformed by his Master Potter into a new life, a better life, a life that better honors the Potter, for the glue the Potter uses to mend our breaks oozes joy through the cracks. People no longer see the flaws and pieces of a shattered life. They see a humble, credible, reformed life. The uniqueness created from a once shattered life can be a beautiful thing, for when the King puts our pieces back together, people understand that God can also mend their shattered lives. This is a big reason why God desires for us the blessing of brokenness. It is a powerful witness, and it helps others. I don’t know if you’ve looked around you to see the number of shattered lives that exist, but I will tell you there are more than ever before. Rarely is a family exempted from this pain with a loved one or friend. We go into prisons to minister to men with shattered lives. In the business world, we are seeing people losing their jobs, their homes and their ability to make a living. As a result, their comfortable life is shattered. We see it with pastors, with professionals, with political leaders, with celebrities, and with all kinds of people. Shattered lives are all around us, and it is a man who has found the joy of brokenness who will be able to comfort and lead these shattered lives to the Master Potter who can put lives back together better than before. Consider the brokenness of Israel and how God put this nation back together as an example: Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Leviteswho were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothingprepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joyof the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:9-10 In Nehemiah 8 we read and see the process of a shattered nation being put back together into one nation under God. This illustration also parallels a life that has been shattered and healed by God. The people were weeping. They were broken. They recognized that they were once a mighty nation, with the identity of being God’s people, and they had lost it. They realized that even though they had been warned, their forefathers had bowed to their idols and as a result God gave them over to their enemy. They were killed, captured, and imprisoned. They were taken to foreign lands to be slaves, and the nation was shattered. This was only a remnant of that mighty nation that was now standing before Nehemiah and Ezra weeping as they heard the Law read. They understood that they were the only ones left to represent the nation. They wept for they knew these things their forefathers did were offensive to God, and Israel had played the harlot to their Husband God. They wept with repentance. They wept with brokenness. They were committed to turn back to God, and God’s response was to turn their tears into a celebration. Can’t you see it? God wanted those tears to turn to joy, for just like the “Prodigal Son,” they had come home to their Father. What did God want for His repentant, broken nation? He wanted healing, completeness, and joy for them. That is what brokenness produces. It produces healing, completeness, and joy. This is another reason God values brokenness. Men, if you will come to understand how brokenness can bless you, you will also come to ask God to break you. I know it is a scary thought to do this. It will require courage to ask for it, and you will be tested when He applies the pressure. But, I will assure you that laying down your idols volitionally rather than having them stripped from you and having to go through a shattered life in the process, is a far more gentle way to move to brokenness. A lot of misery can be avoided if you will run to the place God wants you to dwell, and brokenness is the path to this sacred place. Will you ask for it? If you are presently living a shattered life, you can find the healing you are looking for. But, it will not come by getting back whatever you lost. It will happen by finding that which you have never found. It is to find brokenness. Let your healing begin by asking God to take you to this place. It is there that He can put the pieces of your shattered life back together. Sure you will have some cracks in your porcelain. But an internal beauty that you never imagined will replace what you’ve lost. You will be like that old tea pot that was broken and put back together … cracked and flawed on the outside, but oh so wonderful on the inside. That’s the kind of man God delights in, and that is why He values brokenness in a man. Download file