Scripture:
Psalm 51 v 17: "The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
When we first come to God full of sin, misery and hurt,
He searches our heart to see if we really want the life He is offering or are
just looking for a quick fix pain-killer that offloads guilt in a temporary
fashion to go and sin again.
-Oswald J. Smith
But if we were to approach God through our brokenness and
offer Him the shattered fragments of our lives lived without Jesus as our
Saviour and Redeemer, for Him to shape into a person who truly loves Him, how
acceptable that would be.
Brokenness was much written about by Watchman Nee, a true
martyr of our faith at the hands of Chinese communism in the 1950's. How our
hard unyielding stubborn souls needed to be broken so the pure essence of our
spirit could flow forth and minister the grace of Jesus to others.
He likened it to the woman who anointed Jesus' feet
in Luke 7 v 36-50. She broke open an
alabaster or marble box filled with a precious perfumed ointment and poured it
over His feet and washed his feet in her tears drying them with her hair.
She was a terrible sinner but through this outpouring of
her heart and soul, which was highlighted by the breaking of the alabaster box,
Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven.
Jesus also criticized the Pharisee whose house he was in
for objecting to Him allowing a sinful woman to touch Him. Even though he only
thought it was wrong Jesus discerned what was in his mind and heart. He
contrasted the humilty of this woman's brokenness with the Pharisees hard
unbroken heart. You cannot feign brokenness. It is a condition that brings you
to the Cross of Jesus and keeps you in His love forever. You will sacrifice
every worldly pleasure to remain at His feet within His intimate circle. You
will do anything to please Him and receive His blessing.
Brokenness is not something to run and hide from. It is
what we all need - to lose our pride, and arrogant independence which walls us
into our own selfish world. Once that hardness is broken we can touch the heart
of people in need, knowing their pain as if it were our own.
This is necessary for true intercessory prayer. Jesus is
our High Priest and Intercessor. An intercessor is one who takes the place of
another; who stands in the gap between God and man. The gap is created by
sinful behaviour and prayer is needed to bring the wayward one back to the
Father.
If we are unbroken it is like a horse that is unbroken.
You can't do anything with that horse until it yields and allows a saddle and
bridle to be put on it. Like us. We need to yield to Jesus so He can control
our lives to bring us into line with God's will for us.
So if you have been through some shattering experiences
it could be the hand of the Lord and not a satanic attack. Remember Jeremiah 18
v 1-12 the story of the potter and his wheel.
V 4: "And the vessel he made of clay was marred in
the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to
the potter to make it."
Note that the marred vessel of clay had to be smashed and
remoulded into a new vessel. The clay had no say in what it would become. This
is what Jesus needs from all of us. Stop telling Him what you want to be. He
has much greater ideas for you than that!
Prayer: Heavenly Father I yield myself to Your perfect
will for my life. Let me not be stubborn and hard in self will and disobedience
but rather soft and pliable in Your hands. In Jesus' name. Amen.