Broken before God

   14 And it will be said: ‘‘Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”

   15 For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

   16 I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry,

for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me—the breath of man that I have created. 17 I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, 19 creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near,”

says the LORD. ‘‘And I will heal them.”

   20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. 21 ‘‘There is no peace,” says my God, ‘‘for the wicked.”

Isaiah 57:14-21 (NIV)

I. God lives with the Broken

   A.   Contrite (not Contrived)

      1.   What it is

          a.    Coming to the end of our rope (energy, ability, success)

          b.   reaching our limits and finding we fall short.

          c.    recognizing our complete and utter dependence on God.

      2.   What it isn’t

          a.    self-flagellation.

          b.   playing a role.

          c.    bad self-image.

   B.   Brokenness is Normal

      1.   Everyone gets wounded deeply.

      2.   Everyone fails at something (sooner or later)

II.   Brokenness opens the door to Grace.

   A.   Even when it feels like affliction.

      1.   Grace doesn’t always feel like grace nor does a scalpel feel like healing.

      2.   Brokenness is a kind of surgery on the soul.

          a.    God gives us a purposeful wounding.

          b.   Or, God gives purpose to our woundedness.

   B.   Brokenness Pleads, God Responds

      1.   Pain causes pleading. We plead to God.

      2.   Pleading doesn’t end with a change of subject (like most of our prayers) but with a response.

      3.   Brokenness pleads until God responds (and he always does).

          a.    Even when the words are all used up, and nothing is left but the pleading of the eyes, the pleading hands, the bleeding and pleading soul -- brokenness can’t stop pleading.

          b.   God responds. Always.

             (1)  His message: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

             (2)  I love you.

             (3)  I am here healing you.

III. God Revives the broken.

   A.   After Good Friday, Easter Sunday.

      1.   No Easter without Good Friday.

          a.    No crown without a cross

      2.   No Good Friday without an Easter!

          a.    God always turns bad to our good.

          b.   After the seed falls to the ground and dies it can be raised to new life.

   B.   God Revives (no Self-revival)

      1.   No bootstrap psychologizing!

      2.   The remedy for true brokenness is not more inner strength but more reliance on God.

          a.    inner strength is one of the fruits God cultivates during the dark night of the soul.

      3.   But God, the creator of life, revives; gives new life!

   C.   We are reassembled in a New Way.

      1.   Some of our old parts get “left over” (parts we didn’t really need)

      2.   Some of our parts get refurbished. (cleaned, polished, strengthened)

      3.   We get some new parts.(new lessons learned, deeper empathy, new knowledge of God.)

The Bottom Line:

In the day of brokenness, hand the Pieces to the Father. He’ll fix it Better than it ever was.