Brokenness - Part 3

This is the 3^rd part of a teaching on brokenness. Part 1 is HERE  And part 2 is HERE

This is what I see as the 4^th opportunity for us to walk into brokenness:

4. Circumstances (Job)   

Job suffered catastrophic loss – he was launched into a season of unprecedented suffering. So many of us would crumble under such a weight (he lost all of his children, health, property, servants and his livelihood), and yet he bowed and worshiped before the Lord and said (Job 1:21),

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked shall I return there.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;

Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

As you read through the book of Job, you can clearly see how the suffering Job went through strengthened his faith and took him from being a Godly man to and even more devout and gracious man.

It is so true that character is not made in a crisis – only exhibited. The strength of character exhibited by Job did not just appear at the moment of suffering – it was formed in him during the every-day decisions to serve God with all his heart, throughout his life.

There is something about suffering that sculpts our character if we allow it. I think life hands every one of us some degree of suffering from time to time. In fact, there are many things in life that are not fair. But...the decisions we make when we are facing trials are some of the most important decisions of our lives. When we choose to honor the Lord as Job did, we will see the glory of the Lord. Every trial brings with it a seed for equivalent or even greater blessing. We just have to find that seed and plant it in our patient, yielded hearts.

The gem cannot be polished without friction,

nor a man without trials.

Chinese Proverb

The Lord’s Response To Our Brokenness

1. Ps. 34:18 The Lord is near to the broken-hearted

2. Ps. 34:18 The Lord saves the contrite (The Hebrew word for contrite is dakka’ it also means to be broken and crushed small – like dust)

3. Ps. 147:3 The Lord heals/binds up the broken-hearted.   Is. 61:1; Luke 4:18

4. Is. 57:15 The Lord revives (restores life and health) the contrite

5. Is. 66:1-2 The Lord looks upon and makes Himself present among the contrite

So we see – the Lord is looking for broken hearts – not destroyed hearts, but hearts and lives that are surrendered to His hand. There is a wise saying that goes like this:

The finer the vessel, the smaller is the imperfection that will be able to ruin it.

If we have a cracked or chipped cup – it is still able to be used for everyday things, but if a special guest is coming that same cup should not be placed on the table – In fact, any cup with the tiniest flaw is rendered unusable.

The same is true of us – we are to be servants and ministers of the King of Kings. He is not willing for even the slightest flaw in our character. He is searching for ways to bring every inch of our soul to brokenness so that His glory can flow freely in us and through us.

Part 4: HERE