BROKENNESS: THE BASIS FOR BLESSINGS

Nelson Thomas Mumbai

Brokenness has been one of the prerequisites for divine favor and blessings whether in the Old Testament or in the New. More than external religious rituals, God looks for a broken heart and a contrite spirit before He can graciously forgive and restore us (Psa. 34:18; 147:3; Isa 57:15; 66:2).

Take any godly person whom God used mightily in the past, one unique feature about them is that they were all broken at some point in time. Without this internal spiritual experience, no one can fully enjoy God’s presence or be fruitful for the Lord.

THE MEANING

What is brokenness in the biblical point of view? We can consider at least three different aspects of brokenness.

a. Man-made brokenness

Broken lives and relationships basically are the result of man’s sin. Everybody faces such breakdowns in one way or another. It may be due to our own sinful words or deeds (James 1:14, 15).

Of course, even in such circumstances if we approach the Lord God Almighty acknowledging our helplessness, He will help and transform our lives.

b. Divinely Allowed brokenness

God in His sovereign plan permits certain hostile situations in our lives that will break up our dreams and expectations. Such unexpected, sudden turn of events also might cause devastation in our lives.

However, the Lord God Almighty who allows such a state of affairs will never allow those experiences to crush us beyond a limit (1Cori. 10:13). God will cause all such unfavorable circumstances to transform a child of God for the better (Rom. 8:28).

c. Spirit-Induced brokenness

The supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit convicts one of their sins, God’s righteous demands and judgment, using the scriptures (John 16:13). Such an internal work of the Holy Spirit will bring about an unusual, often inexplicable burden of one’s own sin.

This divine act of God will cause one to see sin in all seriousness, and that sight will leave one crushed under the weight of their sin. It is this aspect of brokenness that God is expecting from us.

Of course, when the Spirit of God breaks the heart of an individual in this manner, and they yield to God for His help, and this brokenness becomes a blessing for them.

Primarily, such a mighty work of God takes place when we come face-to-face with God and His word. No doubt, the above-mentioned two occasions also could lead to this internal spiritual exercise.

EXAMPLES OF BROKENNESS

We have many examples in the scripture that vividly illustrate how God breaks a person before He begins to work in and through them. Let us consider few:

Jacob

It took around twenty years of servitude and a whole night of wrestling before the Lord could touch and break Jacob. It was at this point that he acknowledged his true state and subsequently got transformed and blessed by the Lord (Genesis 32: 9–32).

Moses

Before the Lord could use Moses for forty years to lead the people of Israel, he needed to be broken. His knowledge of all the wisdom of Egypt and the military training only puffed him up. That only produced arrogance and aggression (Exodus 2:11, 12). This was not needed to be in the service of the Lord to lead His people (Acts 7:22).

The Lord wonderfully brought him to the desert of Midian and began to deal with him for the next forty years. On the last day of this special training program, Moses humbly yielded to the Lord acknowledging his unworthiness and inadequacies (Exodus 3:11ff).

David

David’s brokenness is typical. He tried to hide his sin for one year in spite of the pain and burden he suffered under the heavy hand of God (Psalm 32:3, 4). It was only at the convicting words of prophet Nathan, he confessed and yielded to the Lord (2 Samuel 12:13).

Psalm 51 reveals the depth of David’s brokenness before the Lord. He realized how ugly and serious was his sin. It was against the Lord that he sinned, not any individual. It was deceptive and destructive. Sin took away his joy and left a lasting scar on his memory!

He now desperately longed for a new beginning, a clean and new heart. He was also conscious that religious rituals could not erase this guilt. It was this awareness of his evil that crushed him (cf. vs. 2-4, 7, 10, 17)

God is looking for such brokenness before He will forgive, cleanse and transform an individual.

Definitely, there are many more such examples in the Old Testament. Isaiah’s conversion and call for ministry and the pardon granted to the condemned people of Nineveh were all subsequent to brokenness (Isaiah 6:5–8; Jonah 3:5–10). Even Israel’s future restoration and cleansing will be post their brokenness and weeping (cf. Joel 2:12, 13; Zech 12:10–12; 13:1).

First Christian Converts

The experience of those who heard the first Christian sermon is noteworthy in this aspect. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).

According to another translation, the listener’s hearts were pierced as if by a sharp arrow. They were convicted of their sins. Their desperate question discloses the depth of the cut they had felt in their heart. Seeing the seriousness of their guilt they were pleading with the apostles for a way out.

This is the way the Word of God works:

· breaks down the hardened heart as a hammer does,

· pierces and brings out what is hidden just like a two-edged sword,

· burns out the dirt and purifies as fire does, etc. (Jeremiah 23:29; Heb. 4:12)

The following passage in Acts 2 tells us that not only they were cut to the heart, but they also confessed the same and readily repented and yielded to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness (Acts 2:38–42).

Thus, we can conclude that the brokenness that God expects is basically a penitent and sorrowful heart seeing the reality of our inner utter ugliness and unworthiness. This was one of the basic experiences of the early church members. In other words, one who claims to be a member of the Church of Christ and lives with a hardened heart is living a contradiction.

GOD’S WAY OF WORKING

The scripture teaches that there is a vast difference between man’s ways and God’s ways (Isaiah 55:9). That includes God’s method of working also.

1. Worst to Best

People may reject and discard that which is broken thinking it to be waste. But our God makes the best out of the worst. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers,

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1Corinthians 1:26–29)

This is true of any believer in Christ. He has graciously dealt with us when we were foolish, weak, despised, and even nothing. We were dead and drowned in sin. Our words, works and imagination were wicked, and thus, we were the most unworthy to be God’s own people (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Titus 2:3–5). Anyone who is not conscious of this helpless past cannot enjoy a true Christian life.

No wonder the Lord Jesus said even at the beginning of His public ministry, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:3, 4).

The consciousness of one’s sheer spiritual poverty and mourning over it is the basic criteria to be a joyful follower of Jesus Christ.

In fact, every person is broken and marred due to the Fall. However, an arrogant person refuses to accept their failure and helplessness. In their rebellion and self-will, man makes every effort to present themselves as righteous before God. It is this haughtiness and self-righteousness God breaks, even if it takes time, before making them new.

2. Death to Life

Our Lord Jesus Himself is our example. He said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone but if it dies, produces much grain.” (John 12:24). He was broken that we may be healed, slain as an atoning sacrifice that we may be forgiven and revived.

Christ does not offer a different lifestyle for His followers either. He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses for My sake save it” (Luke 9:23, 24 cf. 14:26, 27).

 It may look paradoxical, but it’s a fact that enjoyment of spiritual life and fruitfulness depends upon the brokenness that we experience. Apostle Paul’s words are poignant, “Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also manifested in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10).

3. Weakness to Strength

Notice carefully, Christ’s demand is not just a once-in-a-lifetime exercise, but a daily, consistent self-denial. “.. let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23b). In fact, brokenness is a process. No one is matured or perfected all of a sudden.

As a Master Potter, our Lord is patiently working on us to shape and mould us for the Master’s use (Jeremiah 18:4). It is this divine work of constantly reminding us of our inadequacies that makes a believer trust and yield to Christ for help.

Paul’s experience is thought-provoking. God in His sovereign wisdom allowed a thorn in the flesh to check his pride and prompt him of God's enabling grace in his weaknesses (2Cori. 12:9). It is in this context Apostle Paul wrote, “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cori. 12:10).

Praise God for every form of weakness, disappointment and other painful situation that crush us internally, for it will only empower and sharpen us if only we yield to our Lord.

RESULT OF BROKENNESS

When one is broken inside, this will be reflected in various ways. Moreover, these are the distinguishing marks of a broken person.

i. Humility

A broken man finds nothing to boast about in himself. Hence, he is naturally humble and lowly in his attitude and outlook (Isa. 57:15).

ii. Satisfaction

A broken person is content with what God has done graciously in their life despite all the unworthiness. The awareness of God’s immeasurable grace in their undeserving life teaches them that any complaint or grumbling is irrational and immoral. For the same reasons, they are not hurt by people or circumstances. Remember they are not only broken in their heart but healed and comforted by the Lord (Psa. 147:3).

iii. Compassion

A broken person is merciful and sympathetic to their fellow-beings, knowing human weaknesses from experience. (2 Cori. 1:6)

iv. Gratefulness

Brokenness also leads one to have a thankful heart. The more they meditate on the unfathomable grace and mercy that was lavished on this wretched sinner, their heart is filled with gratitude, praise, and worship (1 Timo. 1:12–17).

v. Godliness

A person with a broken heart and contrite spirit will experience the presence and favor of God in a very special way according to God’s unfailing promise (Psa. 34:18; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2). This, in turn, will result in the manifestation of a godly life and related characteristics.

Anyone who refuses to be broken and touched by the Lord in this manner will lose all the above blessings. The greatness of their ‘self’ will make them egoistic. Such ones will naturally be hard-hearted and rigid. They will be hurt from every corner; hence complaint, irritation, and agitation will be part of their lifestyle. Satisfaction and peace of mind will be just an illusion for such.

CONCLUSION

Praise be to God for the way our Lord is working in and through us! Let’s never doubt the purpose of God in our life. He breaks us up to heal and to make us whole. Whatever may be the situation, if it crushes us internally of our strength, our pride, and selfishness, we need to yield to the Lord; and this is for our own benefit.

Always remember: brokenness is the basis for divine blessings and favor. Our life will be much more fruitful, beautiful, fragrant, and valuable as a result of brokenness (Isaiah 61:3; Mark 14:3).

NTK

Related topic:  'O Come, All Ye Failures'   FAILURE AND DISAPPOINTMENT   

26/07/2023