A Broken and Contrite Heart

Are you living a broken Life full of humility and gratitude? Do you have a broken and contrite heart?

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Humans are born "bent away" from the Lord. Our natural inclination is to please and serve self, which is the opposite of a God honoring lifestyle. When we become believers, our Father begins to bend our will and ways back towards Him. But we must cooperate with Him and yield to the process; otherwise, we are of little use to the kingdom.

In areas where we resist bending toward the Lord, He may break us by allowing pain into our life. As a result, we are driven to Him in surrender. To break a person may sound harsh, but God does this work in love. He sees beyond the hurt to the outcome--we will be more mature and faithful servants for having walked through trial. And our loving Father takes each hard step with us, offering guidance and comfort. Seeing the benefits He has brought about through my hardships, I can honestly thank Him for every period of brokenness I've experienced.

I have always said that God is more interested in our character than our circumstances. As David so eloquently penned, God’s foremost desire, is that we have a broken and contrite heart.” The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” Psalm 51:17. He wants us to walk in humility and total dependence on Him. If we place anything before Him, then He will be faithful to eventually eradicate it from our lives!

God has said that eventually all the things of this earth will be shaken, that can be shaken, and they will crumble and fade away Hebrews 12:27, which is why He does not want us to place our faith in anything of this world. But as Isaiah prophesied, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you” Isaiah 54:10. His love for us is an unfailing love! As King David cried out, “For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken” Psalm 21:7.

And even though we all may have some days where we fell as destitute as Job, “My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me” Job 17:1. Or we feel forgotten by our friends like David did, “I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery” Psalm 31:12. We are assured that God has not forgotten us and eventually the “the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous” Psalm 37:17.

Brokenness is a part of God’s glorious plan, so when the winds of this world, blow hard in your life, just rejoice in the fact that God has not left or forsaken you Hebrews 13:5, rejoice because the various trials of this life are developing more perseverance in you James 1:1-3 and do not lose heart and fix our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who forever is faith to us. Hebrews 10:22-24

Lord, please draw us all closer to You today. Cause us to walk in humility and keep our eyes fixed on You, the Author and Finisher of our faith! In Jesus name we pray, Amen