Brokenness, the Path to Gloryနမူနာ

Broken followers of Christ have an intimacy with God

Does God have favorites? You might think He especially loves the successful TV preacher or an evangelist who can draw thousands. Of course, God loves them too, but enjoy what He says in Isaiah 57:15: “For this is what the high and exalted One says –he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

And in Isaiah 66:2, He says: “‘These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”

Are we surprised that God seems to be especially close to broken Christians? David’s prayer to God in Psalm 51:17 indicates that David knew this: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

And in Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 147:3, 11 tells us: “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. . . the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

It’s not that God loves to see us broken, but that for us to be useful in His kingdom, our self-trust, self-reliance, self-will, and self-absorption need to be completely dealt with so that His Spirit can flow freely in and through our lives. These things grieve the Holy Spirit and limit His ability to work through us. These are the wood, hay, and straw (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) that need to be burned out of our lives so that God can use us.

Broken followers of Christ become God’s special friends. He takes special delight in them. He can communicate with them in deeper and more intimate ways. They just don’t have a lot of junk in the way of the free flow of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Do you want to be used by God? Are you ready for Him to eradicate the wood, hay, and stubble that is clogging up your life?