Friday, January 28, 2011

Brokenness

"I can't serve God until I've got it all together."

How many times have you heard someone say this?
It must be hundreds of times at least! 
Even this week I have heard it from old friends.

I can remember times in my own life when I felt this way too.

I thought, "I'm not good enough to be a Christian.  I'm not good enough to minister to anybody.  I'm not good enough to lift my hands in praise to God, or even to talk to Him alone in prayer."

In these times I was broken.

At some of these points in my life I had been broken by sins or mistakes.
There was a period of my life where I had lost myself in addiction.
Sometimes it was simply life's circumstances that broke me.

I can remember after the death of my mom I felt like I was the last person God would ever use to share His good news. 
I felt hopeless and broken then out of grief and out of anger at God for what I felt like should have been a miracle instead of a tragedy.  
I understand now that mom got her miracle after all.

In each of these times, no matter what brought me to the place of brokenness, I felt so inadequate.
How could God use me as His vessel?  
Would He even care enough to try?

The funny thing is that it was in those places of brokenness that I found God.

That is still true today.

When I feel guilt and shame from mistakes, God reaches out to me like I'm the prodigal son that He is welcoming back home.

When I am confused, He gently guides me with His quiet, still voice.

When I am hurting He wraps me in His loving arms and holds me as His child.

It is during the times when I feel broken, destroyed, inadequate, completely unworthy, that God becomes so real to me.

His greatest work in my life, whether it be healing, ministering to others, or acceptance of His love for me, always begins at those times of brokenness.

It is when we are broken that we fully learn to trust God.

When God is all we have to turn to we rely on Him with child like faith.
When all we know to pray is "fix it Jesus", we are giving God complete control.

Jesus is the ultimate example of someone being used by God during a time of brokenness.

Isaiah 53:5 says,"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. " (N.I.V.)

While He suffered and died on the cross, nails in His hands and feet, bleeding from torturous beatings, whippings, and a crown of thorns on His head; at a place of such brokenness, Jesus accomplished His greatest work.
In His time of being broken He saved the whole world.

When you find yourself feeling destroyed and utterly unusable by God, rely on Him.
Trust Him.
Talk to Him and let Him be real to you.
Surrender yourself completely so that He can heal and restore you.

It is during that time of healing and restoration in your brokenness that God is preparing you so that you can be used to help heal and restore others.

Our father God will take the things that try to destroy us and turn them into our testimony of His victory!

If you find yourself in a place of brokenness rest in our father's arms, trusting that He will give you beauty from your ashes.

As always remember:
God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until next time,
SavedByGrace

You Are More ~ Tenth Avenue North