Broken Is Where He Meets Us
My grandsons spent last weekend with us. They’re one and three years old, full of energy, curiosity, and, sometimes a little chaos. As grandparents, we’ve learned that when the little ones are in the house, something will likely get broken. Sure enough, by the time we waved goodbye, the count was up to four or five casualties: some toys, a garden tool, and even a plastic bat I actually broke when I was showing off how hard I could hit a ball.
The brokenness was expected, and honestly, it was even good. It meant they played hard, had fun, and were living their best little lives. Those broken pieces gave us chances to love them even better. They got to see us fix things, and talk about gentler ways to play, or offer a hug when the brokenness made them sad.
They got to experience restoration, forgiveness, compassion: little lessons for them now, but hopefully, bigger lessons of how God meets us in our brokenness.
When we are broken, God is standing by too, ready to heal, restore, and renew. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Brokenness isn’t failure, but it can be a doorway for us to experience His loving grace.
That’s the story of Jesus, the Living Bread broken for us so that we might be made whole. It’s the story of a God who allowed Himself to be broken so we can be healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus’ brokenness means He does not turn away from ours. He steps into it. He meets us in our mess and transforms it into something holy. Rick Warren said, “Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days, when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great, and you turn to God alone.”
Brokenness opens the door for God to move in our lives in ways we may not understand at the time.
“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength.” ~Vance Havner
At the table, Jesus broke bread and invited everyone to come. His Kingdom looks like that. It is a table full of the broken, restored and renewed, celebrating together. God’s brokenness becomes our healing, and our healing becomes the compassion that helps us help others through their pain.
So the next time something breaks like your plans, your patience, your heart, or even a favorite toy, remember this: God does His best work in broken places. The brokenness is not the end, but the beginning of something new, a chance for love to repair, for grace to show up, and for a lifetime of God doing His best work in us and through us.
Reflection Questions:
• When have you seen God bring healing or growth out of something broken in your life?
• How does knowing that Jesus was broken for you change the way you see your own pain?
• How does Jesus meet you in your brokenness and bring healing or peace?
• Where might God be inviting you to offer compassion or restoration to someone else’s brokenness?
WATCH - Pastor Jay Pike sermon - God is Broken and That’s Good News
