BROKENNESS

God uses us the most when we are broken. If the truth be told, all of us are broken in some way or another. We look at someone's outward appearance and they appear to have it going on and are all put together, but we can't see what's really happening on the inside.

We all have been broken. We have been broken by others and by people of this sin sick world. God loves to use broken people by restoring them and uses them for His glory.

The Bible is full of stories about brokenness. Take the story of Jacob. When Jacob was left alone, a Man wrestled with him until dawn. When the Man saw that He couldn't overpower him, He struck Jacob's hip, and knocked it out of joint. Jacob had fought with his brother Esau and won. He had fought with his uncle Laban and won. Now he fought against a "Man" that he could not defeat, and the "Man" crippled him in the fight. This "Man" was a Supernatural Being. Jacob tried to live his life his own way. He tried to run from God. He had an encounter with God and realizing he is wrestling with God, he requests a blessing. This is when God changed Jacob's name to Israel - meaning "strives for God." It was the brokenness of Jacob's natural strength that got Jacob where God could give him spiritual power. You see, there is no blessing without brokenness.

If you want a blessing, you must allow God to break you, thus brokenness. This has been true of all of God's servants in the Bible. Before God could use Moses to deliver His people out of Egypt, God had to put him in the desert for 40 years, taking care of sheep.

When Naomi lost her husband and two sons, she went through a period or brokenness. She even changed her name to Mara, meaning "bitter."

Before God used Esther, she had to risk her life to break the etiquette of the king's court to obtain favor to rescue her people from death.

Before God used Paul, first He blinded him for three days, later, He had to give him a "thorn in the flesh" to keep him from becoming prideful.

Peter denied Jesus three times. He went out and wept bitterly. In his sorrow he was convicted with a broken spirit. His brokenness led to repentance.

Even Jesus Christ's body had to be broken on the cross before the blessing of His salvation could be poured out for sinners, like you and me.

God uses broken things for His glory. In my personal experience, when I had hit rock bottom, God met me in my darkest broken place. He built me up again. I know all about brokenness. There are somethings that God can do best only when we are broken. "The LORD is close to those whose hearts are breaking; he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins (Psalms 34:18).

Many people in this world suffers with a broken heart, broken health, broken finances, broken limbs, broken self-esteem, broken marriages, broken relationships, broken dreams, broken friendships, and broken reputation. When your heart is broken, you feel crushed.

Brokenness is the process where God brings us to the end of ourselves and into a total trust and submission with Him. God does not want us to lean on our own understanding, but we are to lean on Him.

When we are broken, we are more willing to listen to God. In our brokenness, we become closer to God. Our brokenness brings us back into the fellowship with God. In our brokenness we become more like Christ.

God blesses brokenness. God can bless broken dreams. God can bless broken-hearts. God can bless broken lives. God can bless broken self-esteem. God can bless broken marriages. God can bless broken relationships. God can bless broken finances. God can bless our brokenness. It is through our brokenness that our light shines the brightest. God loves to shine through broken things.