Life’s Broken Places

Psalm 31:9

            Have mercy upon me O Lord, for I am in trouble

Psalm 32:12

            I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:  I am like a broken vessel.

One of the most beautiful Scriptures in the Bible is found in John 3:16.  In this passage of scripture we are made to understand that God viewed the sorrowful condition of the world, observed the despair among its inhabitants, and beheld their sinfulness yet He loved man enough to send, not just any redeemer, but He sent His only begotten Son.  This was done that, by God’s help, man might rise above his despair, whether it was caused by sin, failures, or just the cares of life, and live a life of glorious liberty.

Jesus, himself, said that He was come to seek and to save the lost.  He did not come to celebrate the good works of mankind, nor did He come to mingle with all the law abiding righteous folks.  He came to bring help and deliverance to troubled lives.

It would be nice if things always went well in our lives and our lives consisted only of celebrating great blessings.  But more times than  not we find our lives in NEED of help and guidance from God.  Our lives get tangled in the affairs of this life, we miss the will of God, we fail to recognize all that God has done for us, or we even sin and come short of God’s glory  —  the list can go on and on…

Regardless of where we are in life or what circumstances surround us, there is good news from the throne of God and that is – not only is God the God of the mountains, or the days of glorious joy.  He is God in the times of life’s broken places.

IN THE PLACE OF BROKEN HEARTS  –  HE’S STILL GOD

 

There has never been so much hurt evident among people as there is today.  Relationships are crumbling all about us.  Painful and hurtful words are being hurled like daggers at one another.  Loneliness strikes the hearts of men and women with unprecedented devastation. We reach a place in life that we can’t find happiness on our jobs, in our homes and even at our churches because we’re too busy trying to resolve the issues of our broken hearts.

When you reach the place of Life’s Broken Heart – you can take comfort that God is still God in even that area of your life.  God never thinks of us as being dysfunctional because our hearts are broken.  When our heart is broken within us – God never sees us as unattractive or undesirable.  He said in Psalm 34:19;

The Lord draws nigh unto them that are of a broken heart!

Luke 4:18 we find Jesus echoing the word spoken in prophecy by Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach  the gospel to the poor: and He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted.

It doesn’t matter the cause of your heart break.  When your heart is broken, God will draw close to you.  Even when you don’t feel you can draw close to Him – He is drawing close to you.  And when God draws nigh unto you – He will heal your broken heart!!

IN THE PLACE OF BROKEN SPIRITS  –  HE’S STILL GOD

When a person’s spirit is broken, there is no more fire of passion or desire left within them.  This often leaves a person without the motivation to do the will of God, to reach toward the things that are before them, or sometimes even to live at all.

When one’s spirit is broken within them, there is no JOY, there is no FAITH, if there is laughter at all it is superficial, and more often than not , there is no HOPE.

Many things can cause our spirits to be broken within us:

1.     An accumulation of trouble and stress in our lives.

2.     Prayers that seemingly go unanswered.

3.     Questions that remain unanswered for long periods of time.

4.     Problems that remain unresolved.

These are but a few of the multitude of things that can break our spirits and sap the passion of life and God from us.  But even in the midst of broken spirits – God is still God!

Ezekiel 11:19  God said,

“I will put a NEW SPIRIT in you.”

God didn’t say that He was going to remodel, revamp, redo and fix up the OLD spirit.  He said His work in your life would be so great that He would put a new spirit in you.  It is an error on our part to limit our expectation to just an emotional refurbishing.  God is getting ready to do a NEW THING in your life and spirit..

 

IN THE PLACE OF BROKEN HEALTH  –  HE’S STILL GOD

 

Never has the health of mankind been affected as it is today.  Major diseases are killing our children while incurable illnesses are wrecking havoc on the lives of the your and old alike.  Countless billions of dollars are spent each year in the United States in health care cost and still there are diseases for which there is no known cure.

It is not enough that we are contending with illnesses and sickness of a physical nature, NOW we are contending with illnesses of an emotional and mental nature as well.  A New York scientist studying mental illness reported to the United Nations committee that up to 30% of the world’s population is suffering from some form of emotional or mental disorder

It is a challenge to lose your own health or watch a loved one whose health begins to deteriorate.  Irritation sets in and hopelessness begins to prevail.  Some folk begin to feel like they have lost their usefulness to their families and to God because of their broken health.  But the good news is that even if your HEALTH fails, God will not.  For He is God in the places of broken health.

Isaiah 53:5

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities,  the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with His stripes we are healed.

Hundreds of scriptural references recorded in both the Old and New Testaments, tell us that God is still a HEALER.  From the curing of blood diseases to the raising of the dead, nothing was, or is, impossible with God..

James 5:14-15

Is any sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church: and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith shall save the sick.

Even when your health is broken, God is your healer.  The scars on His back are proof of your healing.  Look beyond the pain, look beyond the symptoms, look even beyond the doctor’s prognosis – and see your healer sending healing to your life.

For when your health is broken – God is with you still and is and will always be “your God.”

Regardless of where you are in life or what your particular “Broken Place” might be.  God is your God RIGHT THERE!  There is no problem too great for God.  There is no broken place that God can’t fix.

Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you!