Summer
1992
Brokenness - A Key to
Renewal
Jay Comiskey
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken
and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" Psalm
51:17.
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand
of
God, that he may exalt you in due time" I Peter 5:6.
The wellspring of our heart is motivated either by brokenness,
or by pride. Our Lord's attitude toward us is effected by
both.
Brokenness is a quality of character that insures against
the violation of God's Glory by human arrogance. It is the
opposite of the great sin of the universe - pride. Brokenness
portrays a humility which has been birthed and developed deep
within us through the chastening hand of the Lord.
It is best to view brokenness from God's perspective. He
does not provide "Seven steps on how to be broken,"
but rather, sovereignly arranges the affairs of our life to
weave humility and brokenness into the fabric of our being.
During these periods of God-ordained crises, the Lord desires
to deposit a spirit of brokenness within us.
Jonah's experience is a prime example of how the Lord is
able to arrange circumstances to deal with arrogance and bring
a spirit of repentance. God, in His mercy, met Jonah in the
fury of the storm, and in the belly of the great fish. He
now had Jonah's undivided attention. Even today, Jonah signifies
God's ability to meet us in the midst of distressing circumstances
to resolve a controversy.
The sins of pride, lukewarmness, and apathy quickly captivate
an unbroken heart. Unless God boxes us in through difficult
circumstances, we may refuse to acknowledge our stubbornness
and the futility of our own ways. Unfortunately, apart from
God's corrective rod, we seldom experience any real change.
IN Matt 12:40, Jesus compared Jonah’s three days and
three nights spent in the belly of the fish to the three days
and nights He would spend in the grave following His crucifixion.
We are confronted with Calvary and the way of the Cross at
ever turn, yet in our cultural obsession with "excellence"
and success-oriented formulae, we have developed an aversion
to the Cross. For some, the way of the Cross seems to be a
step backwards. This obsession with "progress" is
due to an ignorance of God's "ways." Until we are
broken and our carnal ways exposed to us, our goals are little
more than an object for boasting. Divine purpose flows from
a humble and contrite spirit that can tremble at God's word.
True, the School of the Holy Spirit is sometimes painful!
There was nothing even remotely pleasant about three days
and three nights in the belly of a whale. It may seem that
our whole world has fallen apart and everything we cherish
is in jeopardy. This is the time to stop looking for scapegoats
and embrace the Cross.
Brokenness is only found at the foot of the Cross. If we
do not despise the hand of God that is upon us, but humble
ourselves and acknowledge that His ways are perfect, out of
death and brokenness, in due season, will burst forth resurrection
life.