Benefits of Brokenness

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- August 24, 2010

Benefits of Brokenness… “My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me.” Job 17:1

Brokenness is a prerequisite to God’s thorough usefulness. Before brokenness we were still self-sufficient and self-dependent. There was no authentic humility. It was either false or non-existence. Before brokenness anger lurked behind the corner of every situation that did not go our way. Then it pounced on our unsuspecting victims.

Before brokenness prayer was a routine rather than a necessity. Our fellowship was not sweet and refreshing. Before brokenness our life could be explained by our own efforts. There was no resurrection power harvesting results. Rather, results were rooted in our limited strength. Before brokenness there was a subtle spiritual pride that intimidated or impressed others by our “wisdom”, instead of pointing them to the Author of wisdom.

Brokenness is the rite of passage to blessings. It is a bridge across into the depths of God’s love and intimacy, but it is not without discomfort, even pain. Brokenness seems on the surface failure, but on the contrary, it positions us for success. A sleek, stubborn and strong willed stallion must be broken before it can benefit its riders. Otherwise, its unfocused energy ravages its environment and terrorizes those with whom it comes in contact. Our full potential can’t be unleashed without heaven’s taming. The “choking point” in spiritual maturity isn’t from outside forces. Let God break your will, before it breaks you.

There is an important distinction between a broken will and a broken spirit. God’s desire is not to chronically crush your spirit, but to break your will. His goal is to tame your stubbornness. Do not buck God. He will eventually have His way, one way or another. We can work with Him or we can work against Him. A bridle is not comfortable, but it is necessary to get the required results. God’s bridle will lead you into His eternal benefits.

We miss the Lord’s best without brokenness. In some ways it is a life long process of ‘three steps forward and two steps backward’. We make progress, but not without still messing up. We will repeat some mistakes and sometimes it takes a protracted time for us to ‘get it’. However, for some of us we need brokenness to come upon us with God’s loving intensity. Without Him arresting our attention we tend to move nonchalantly through our Christian life. Our bad habits never change and we settle for behavioral modification, instead of Christ living His life through us with His resurrection power.

Your life should be markedly different from the world. People should question the peace, power, grace, mercy and love that consistently flows from your life. If there is no fruit of the Holy Spirit, there is no brokenness. Pray for God to break your will, not your spirit. Your spirit is where hope resides. Your spirit communes with God. Your tamed spirit trusts in Him. Let go and let God break you and make you into the image of His son Jesus Christ. What he breaks He makes. And what God makes is beautiful!

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

Have I experienced true brokenness? Have I allowed the Lord to heal my heart?

Related Readings: Psalm 34:18; 51:17; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18

Boyd Bailey is the author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotional and two devotional books, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God