It's kind of hard to think of any good news when you just broke your hand, but there can be some. Yeah. My wife learned that when she was in an accident in our car with two of our children. They were rear-ended. Somebody slammed into the back of them, and the result for my wife was a broken hand and six weeks in a cast. Well, she was unable to use her working hand; her writing hand even for about a month and a half.
Now, when we learned that, we got the family together and had a little pep rally and it was led by cheerleader Dad. And I said, "Hey, you know what? We finally have an opportunity here to give back to Mom some of what she's been giving to us. We can really help her like we don't usually do." So, my wife had a very interesting experience. She found out that when something is broken, you could have resources to help that you don't normally have.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Power of Broken."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God is in Psalm 51:16-17. Speaking of broken, David says to the Lord, "You do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it." Wait a minute! That's the highest religious thing you could do if you were a Jew. But He goes on to say, "You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." So God's most prized gift from us is not some religious activity or office we hold or a big gift we give. He says "the greatest gift you can give Me is your brokenness."
Ironically, guess what we don't want to be? We don't want to be broken; we want to be together. But God blesses brokenness. He uses brokenness. And what's happening in your life right now just might be part of God's plan to melt you, to mold you, to soften you, and yes to break you. Not to destroy you; that's not His purpose.
My wife found that because she had a break, she found reserves from her family to help her because of what was broken. Now, when you reach the end of you and you're broken, God's power can finally go to work on your behalf as He's wanted to all along. You're out of the way, and you've never quite experienced His power like you do in those broken moments. You finally release God's omnipotence - His all powerfulness - because there's no you left to do it.
Only when you're broken are you going to repent fully and deal with those sinful strongholds. "God, I'm so desperate! I'll even let this go." You'll worship lavishly when you're broken. Like that lady who broke open her perfume and poured it out for the Lord. It's only when you're broken that you can be used mightily. Don't be afraid of this softening process that God's bringing you through right now. It's not because He doesn't love you; it's because He does. It's not because He's finished with you. It's because He's starting something brand new. The beginning of the answers you seek may be that very moment when you prostrate yourself before God and say, "God, I'm empty. I'm desperate. I have no answers. I have no strength. I have no resources."
That flips a power switch in heaven that can now do something supernatural for your life and through your life. That is the power of broken. And maybe God's allowed you to be broken so you could finally be healed; to finally see that you really do need Him, to be forgiven by Him, to have a personal relationship with Him, to actually take personally for yourself what Jesus did on the cross to tear down the wall between you and God. It takes being broken so often before we see that He was broken on a cross by His choice for you and me. At the Lord's Supper - the Eucharist - the communion, He said, "This is My body which was broken for you."
Today, maybe at the end of your brokenness, you'll finally find the Savior who could put your life together like it's never been before. This could be the beginning of that relationship. Go to our website ANewStory.com. All you need to know about how to be sure you belong to Him.
"All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful out of my life." He'll do that for you beginning today.