Praying Under an Open HeavenSample

His Body Broken for Us, Our Hearts Broken for Him

Many years ago, I had a most interesting vision. I saw a massive dam. It was holding back a mighty river on one side, but on the other side was thirsty ground, parched and cracked in the sun. I understood that the river represented the glory of God, and the parched ground represented the world. I knew it was God’s will that the knowledge of His glory is to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and so I said, “Lord, how will Your glory breach that massive wall?” Then I saw it. Tiny broken places began to form in the dam … hairline fractures that seemed so insignificant. But out of those tiny cracks, razor sharp spurts of water began to spray through. The cracking continued and I watched as small chunks of the wall began to fall away. Soon water was gushing in from all sides, and suddenly, in one moment, the mighty dam was swept away, and the parched ground was covered. The Lord spoke to me saying, “My glory will cover the earth through broken people”

As Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper, I was struck by His declaration, “This is my body, which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24). He was referring to His crucifixion, and as I read His words, immediately the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 (NASB) came flooding into my spirit: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” What a powerful confession! To be crucified with Christ — this is the brokenness that will result in His life flowing out through ours to the dry and parched world around us. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”  

But how can we be crucified with Christ? The reality is that Jesus had laid down His life long before He was nailed to the cross. Hear Him praying in the garden, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). This is true brokenness. It’s where the real crucifixion takes place, and it is in this laying down of our own will and desires that our prayers become truly powerful.