Most of us see broken things as worthless and needing to be thrown out. We are so conditioned by our disposable society that if it doesn’t work, we just discard it and buy a new one. This can apply to our clothes, cars, computers, appliances, etc. The art of fixing things has almost been lost in today’s world. In fact, to repair certain items at times costs more than buying a new one. This mind-set has also affected our interpersonal relationships. When a friendship seems broken, we just get new friends and go on with our life. If our marriage fails, we get a divorce and marry someone else. Instead of spending the time and energy necessary to fix our relationships, we just get new ones. This may be the easy way of dealing with our issues, but it is not God’s way. He is a fixer upper.
Certain things need to be broken so that they can be made right. When my wife was studying art at the university, she took a pottery course. She learned the art of throwing clay on a wheel and creating beautiful vases and dinner ware. To her chagrin, her professor would come by her wheel to look at the piece she had created. Many times, he would take the beautiful vase she had made and smash it, and then say: “Do it again”. She could not understand the cruelty of the professor in destroying hours of her labor, until he explained that it was too thin to withstand the firing process. She had spun a beautiful vase, but it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the test of fire.
God uses brokenness to do great works. He breaks the soil to produce a harvest. He breaks the clouds to produce rain. He breaks the alabaster jar to anoint the feet of Jesus. He breaks the bread to speak to us of His sacrifice and forgiveness of sin. He takes Peter’s brokenness and restores him to strength and confidence. The Psalms say: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18) There is something in brokenness that God is attracted to. He doesn’t see brokenness as worthlessness but as the qualification for promotion.
Brokenness is having a contrite heart; that is to sincerely seek God’s grace and forgiveness. There are things in our lives that need to be broken: Pride, sin, stubbornness, selfishness, etc. Pride creates a self-reliance that no longer needs God. It is the stiff-neckedness that is seen in the Pharisee’s rejection of Jesus. (Acts 7:51) Pride is resisted by the Lord and humility is the pathway to grace. Brokenness is humility resulting in repentance. When King David’s sin was exposed and when he understood the gravity of his situation before the Lord, he reached a breaking point. He prayed: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in me.” (Psalms 51:10) He feared that the Spirit of the Lord would withdraw from him and so he cried out for forgiveness and restoration. He knew that God’s mercy would be given to those of a broken and contrite heart.
Brokenness over sin is good. It keeps us far from the place of temptation. Brokenness is trusting Jesus to forgive us always, knowing that we all have the tendency to go our own way. If you are confident in your own ability to stand firm in times of trials, then you are on the edge of falling into pride. Flee temptation! Run into the arms of the Lord and call out for His mercy and grace. Be easily corrected and love discipline. Your heavenly Father seeks those of a broken and contrite heart.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Psalms 51:17; 34:18; Isaiah 57:15; 65:14; 66:2; Zechariah 12:10