Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim freedom for the captives
And release from darkness for the prisoners
I was reminded of this passage this morning. The one part that really struck me was “...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...” This of course brought to mind other passages that talk about being brokenhearted.
Isaiah 57:15
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.
Psalm 34:17-18
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 51:16-17
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
The thought that really struck me was this: What does it take? There are so many who are suffering egregiously. Just listen to or read news headlines on any given day and you will see for yourself. What does it take to be so brokenhearted that we have no choice but to follow God? One definition of brokenhearted I found was “broken to pieces.” How many pieces does my heart have to be broken into before I surrender everything to God?
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI was very blessed by your post, and reminded of God's grace. I have actually prayed in my own life that God would crush me because then I would be nearer to Him. But, I usually chicken out and take it back.:) I find it so interesting how this brokeness works. I do agree with what you say about our lack of faith...that "perhaps maybe we just don't believe God will do what He said He'd do in His Word." and I am convicted by my own lack of faith. I can honestly say that I have never been nearer to God than when I've been broken. The scariest thing is not so much the brokeness, but the refusal to draw closer to God in the midst of it...the refusal to surrender. How many pieces indeed.... Thank you for your words.