God works with broken things. Why? Because He can. Day by day, the older I get – now I’m sounding old! – the more I realise that brokenness is actually an okay thing to experience. I know what you’re thinking; “He’s a pastor. He’s got his life together, there are no broken bits.” Well, thankyou for your high rating of me – I’ll call you next time I need a job reference – but I want to let you in on a little known truth. God works with broken things.
There are a few times in the Bible that come to mind where God revealed His strength and salvation, and deliverance using broken things.
King David, in his prayer of confession, in Psalm 51 says to God…
“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
God works with broken things.
The battle that Gideon was called to lead required the “warriors” to break clay pots revealing torches aflame, piercing the darkness of night with an unrelenting glow that caused the enemy to run for their lives in confusion. And victory came as some thing broke.
In the New Testament we are introduced to a worshipper who breaks an alabaster jar of extremely rare and expensive perfume upon Jesus’ body, prophetically declaring His body for “breaking” on the cross and anointing Him for burial. God works with broken things.
A few times Jesus is seen breaking bread and amazing things happen.
One day while out in the wilderness Jesus has a great crowd of people following Him. Needy people. Sick people. Searching people. Hungry people. It’s getting late and Jesus has compassion on them, so He calls His disciples to feed the crowd with a boy’s lunchbox. Jesus takes what little the boy can give Him, ‘Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.’ (Matthew 14:19 NLT). God works with broken things.
Another time He’s sharing the last supper with the disciples, and He again takes bread, blesses it and breaks it, but this time says, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26). God works with broken things.
Another time that comes to mind where Jesus breaks bread is after He rises from the dead and meets up with two very disillusioned disciples along the road to Emmaus. They thought that God had given up on them. And it’s when He breaks the break in their presence that a huge flood-light shines upon their hearts and they realise that the person is in fact Jesus their Master, alive. God works with broken things.
Have you ever heard of Kintsugi? It’s the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. It’s a craft that treats brokenness as part of the history of an object, rather than something to blame or to disguise. In other words, it highlights the bits that were broken.
We are all broken! Your brokenness is a part of who you are! Who God wants you to be! How God wants you to function. It was in “the breaking” that their eyes were opened on the journey to Emmaus. (Luke 24:30). Jesus took…blessed… broke….and gave.
God took Moses from the reeds. Blessed him in Pharaoh’s house. Broke him in Midian. Gave him to be Israel’s rescuer. God took Joseph from the slave traders. Blessed him in Potiphar’s house. Broke him in jail. Gave him to rescue Egypt. God took Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans. Blessed him with wealth. Broke him with barrenness and gave him an heir. Isaac. God took Job, Esther, Ruth, Rahab, Daniel, Jonah, Jacob, Gideon, Peter, You, Me. He takes us. Blesses. Breaks and gives. Chances are you are in one of those phases. And, during all four phases Jesus never let’s go of the bread. God works with broken things.
Psalm 34:18 says, ‘The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.’
Isaiah 57:15 says,
‘A Message from the high and towering God,
who lives in Eternity,
whose name is Holy:
“I live in the high and holy places,
but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed,
And what I do is put new spirit in them,
get them up and on their feet again. (The Message).
God works with broken things. Why? Because He can. All through the Bible God uses people who are broken because they know they are broken. And He still does. And it’s in the breaking that God is able to reveal the true aroma of Christ within us. Why not come to the Lord today recognising your brokenness before Him in prayer, and watch what He can do in your life. God still works with broken things. Why? Because He can.
God bless you and yours.