Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 8, 2014
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
Intimacy with God goes hand in hand with your brokenness. Your desire for intimacy with your heavenly Father will be accompanied by brokenness, as it escorts you into intimacy with eternal God. It is your date with destiny. A broken and contrite heart delivers intimacy with the Almighty. Do not despise your broken condition. Rather, delight in its opportunity for intimacy. You long to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering (Philippians 3:10). These prayers were not in vain. Your brokenness is answered prayer. The answer may not be exactly what you expected. You may have anticipated a smoother route, a paved road free of bumps or potholes. But the path of personal and intimate relationship with Christ is not always easy.
Most of the time, intimacy requires difficulty. It is at this point of pressure and discomfort that some people disembark the train of intimacy. It is much easier to talk about an intimate relationship with Christ than it is to arrive at this point through brokenness. However, this is an exercise in convenience. It is like placing a “Do not disturb” sign on the door of our life, in place of the “Clean up my room” invitation. Brokenness is inviting God to come in and cleanse your life. He stands at the door of our heart and knocks (Revelation 3:20). When you invite Christ into your broken life, He comes in. Intimacy is then unleashed on His terms, not yours. It is only when you surrender in total desperation and total dependency on God that you experience authentic intimacy.
Intimacy with God through brokenness is not unlike what you experience in relationships with people. Hardships and brokenness are meant to grow you closer to other people. A crisis will either drive you further away from someone or closer together. God’s best for you is to make you relationally stronger with one another during a season of brokenness. But brokenness is not a one-time phenomenon. It is an ongoing part of the committed Christian’s life. It’s not as if you swallow this hard pill one time and are then set for a lifetime of intimacy with God. Once God has marked you with brokenness, you are positioned for Him to build on this firm foundation. He will still use mini brokenness throughout your life. These regular occurrences are bricks of brokenness connected together by the cement of His grace.
Over time, a life of brokenness becomes a stalwart structure of sanctification designed by God. Your brokenness is meant for your betterment. Indeed, you are much better when you experience a defining moment of brokenness. It deserves your embrace, rather than your rejection. If you fight brokenness, you delay God’s best. You circumvent intimacy with Christ if you bypass brokenness. Focus your energies on changing yourself, not your circumstances. Christ will handle the circumstances while you adjust your attitude. A life of brokenness is an invitation to intimacy. His closeness and salvation are worth this time of brokenness. Don’t buck brokenness. Instead, rely on Him and get to know Him at this deeper level of intimacy. You are much better broken because brokenness leads to intimacy with God.
Post/Tweet today: A broken and contrite heart leads to intimacy with the Almighty. #wisdomhunters
Taken from the June 8th reading in Boyd’s 365-day devotional book, “Seeking Daily the Heart of God vol. 1” … http://bit.ly/Tv6y9a
Free eBook when you sign up 5 friends for the free email devotional…https://www.wisdomhunters.com/invite-your-friends/
© 2014 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.
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What an excellent devotion, Boyd. A teaching that, in my opinion, has been missing from the Church for many, many years. And could this be one reason why the church isn’t having as much influence upon the world around her? I’m referring to the church in the U.S. I had to ask myself how long had it been since I asked the Lord to break my heart over what breaks His heart. And I’m confessing it’s been a long time. I have had some personal issues, tiny issues compared to what some are experiencing. Shouldn’t sharing the sufferings of Christ be a daily process through times of prayer, intercession and spiritual warfare? Personally, I think I’ve allowed myself to become too busy to allow that depth of intimacy with God to really take hold in and through me during my prayer times. I think people are afraid of such times of brokenness and stop the work of the Holy Spirit before it goes too far. Sad. Very sad. We’re missing out on some of God’s best.
Dear Susan~
Thank you so much for reaching out to us with your very thought-provoking comments. I read your comments twice because they were filled with such truth for many of us. “I had to ask myself how long had it been since I asked the Lord to break my heart over what breaks His heart. And I’m confessing it’s been a long time.” That was so true and so convicting for many of US. Thank you for that reminder.
“I think people are afraid of such times of brokenness and stop the work of the Holy Spirit before it goes too far. Sad. Very sad. We’re missing out on some of God’s best.” Goodness, Susan, that really “hit close to home” and I appreciate your wisdom regarding the negative impact of busyness, or should I say the “captivity of activity”? It absolutely does mean we will miss some of God’s Best.
I will pass along your comments to Boyd and I hope we hear from you again in the future. It is such a blessing to us to hear from our fellow wisdom hunters. We are so very thankful for you!
Believing and trusting,
Gwynne
P.S. Help us to hold tight to this precious verse:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Amen and Amen!