Difficulties
Brokenness: The Way To Blessing
No one enjoys being broken emotionally, physically, or spiritually. It is difficult to understand how strength and blessing are the end results of brokenness, but they are. Yet we seldom recognize the goodness of brokenness in the heat of suffering.
Have you ever caught yourself wishing things were like they were in the "good old days?" Most of us have. However, the truth is if we had a chance to travel back to another time, we would find that the same problems and trials we now face existed then, only in a varying form. Trials come no matter who you are or what you do in life.
In desperation to gain control of our circumstances, we tell ourselves we can make it through any difficulty. We hide our inner feelings and pray God will strengthen us. Instead of letting go of our pride and self-strength, we convince ourselves to hold on as waves of suffering pass over us. The darkness lingers; the pain increases; and the disappointment goes on and on.
In Second Corinthians we read the words of a man who faced numerous and intense trials. Paul faced discouragement, but he knew God was in control and placed his hope and faith in Jesus Christ. ". . . [W]e are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body" (4:8-10).
There was trust and faith in the God Paul served. He was not ignorant of the fact that the trials passing through his life came with a purpose. They were tools in the hand of God, who reshaped, refined, and refocused his life so that it would become a reflection of the life of Christ, full of purpose and blessing.
Was Paul ever discouraged? Yes, just like us, he fought with emotional and physical difficulties. His words in the letter to the Corinthians are laced with pain and difficulty. But much more than this, they are words of hope and divine intervention written to inspire and encourage all who face the agony of brokenness.
From the fires of the spiritual battle, Paul writes: "[T]here was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!
"Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Pressure from without increases pressure within. When difficulties come, we feel the pressure and stress within. However, in the spiritual realm we do not have to yield to the mounting pressure. We can defuse it by placing it on the altar of God and allowing Him to handle the hurts we face.
Clinging to what you want and think is right for your life can prolong the brokenness process. It may not make sense in the beginning, but God knows what is ahead in your life. He disciplines, guides, and directs, not to hem you in but so that you will be in a position to live a free and blessed life.
For the Christian, brokenness demands the focus of the heart to be set on Christ. You may feel like you are coming apart at the seams, but if you will transfer your fear and anxiety to Jesus, then something amazing will happen. You will not only begin the process of being conformed to the image of God's Son, but you also will sense a greater strength growing within you.
In the book Streams In The Desert, Mrs. Charles Cowman notes the advantage of suffering: "In the night [God] is preparing thy song. In the valley He is tuning thy voice. In the cloud He is deepening thy chords. In the rain He is sweetening thy melody. In the cold He is molding thy expression. In the transition from hope to fear He is perfecting thy lights."
Brokenness proves to us that we are not omnipotent. Suddenly we become aware that there is a higher authority than ourselves, Someone whose insight and wisdom outranks our mortal aptitude. We need a Savior—Someone greater than our greatest fear and Someone who is able to meet all our needs. It is only through His grace that we learn the truth concerning brokenness: the process of experiencing the immense love and fellowship of God.
Maybe you are facing a time of brokenness in your life, and you think the emotional pain is more than you canbear.Or perhaps you are dealing with a series of disappointments. Instead of becoming fearful, which is often Satan'sploy to pull you away from the will of God, ask the Lord to show you what He is up to in your life.
God did not remove the thorn from Paul's life. Yet He did give his apostle an understanding as to why the trial existed. The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul that there was an element of pride in his life, and the "thorn" was given to humble him and cause him to rely only on Christ and the strength of God's Son instead of his own.
Many times brokenness comes when our love for the Lord seems the strongest. God tests us to see if our devotion is true or "fair-weathered."
In visiting His altar of brokenness, you will find a spiritual depth to your life has been added that was not there before the trial began. Peter writes: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation His glory you may rejoice with exultation" (1 Peter 4:12-13).
In chapter five he continues: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares of you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (5: 6-11).
Charles Spurgeon wrote: "God knows that soldiers are only to be made in battle; they are not to be grown in peaceful times. We may grow the stuff of which soldiers are made; but warriors are really educated by the smell of powder, in the midst of whizzing bullets and roaring cannonades . . . Is He not developing in you the qualities of the soldier by throwing you into the heat of battle, and should you not use every application to come off conqueror?"
Illustration by Jay Montgomery
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