Good News for the Broken

A PREREQUISITE FOR the saved life is this: there is the solemn achievement of recognition for the state of brokenness; one life ends and a new one must begin.

Eternal beauty remains in the knowledge that brokenness is a vast degree of success in the spirituality of God. If Moses, David, Elijah and Jesus were all blessed in their brokenness so, in fact, are we.

Reflect over this short stanza:

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If you were once broken,

But now find yourself healed,

A new purpose is spoken,

Life’s essence—revealed.

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This is a mystery, but we can be so thankful for it.

Yet, the proudly irredeemable don’t need a saviour. They have life all mapped out and self-sufficiency is their god. They’re deceived.

Not with those who read this, however. (Why else would we read something titled, Good News for the Broken?)

The true good news is: upon brokenness the gift of life is but a whiff away.

The real success stories of this life are admittedly and wantonly broken people; not that they remain there in contempt of God, yet they fling those darts of condemnation back where they came from. Those darts have no place in the residence of God.

A New Purpose Spoken

We only need to be redeemed once to understand, and therefore believe, there is a Higher Power working over our lives, uniquely interested in us as persons.

God uses these experiences to speak the idea of revelation into our lives.

Only will we know what the Spirit will utter into our spirits. And if our new purpose isn’t clear, gleaming with clarity, our purpose is to find that purpose. This is done in the joy of the Lord; a newly fashioned hope indwells.

Life’s Essence Revealed

Such an obvious truth in life is easy to miss. In fact, we are all bound to forget this at one time or another.

Life’s essence is revealed in the fact that life is not really about us at all—a truth made real to me first via Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life (2002) book. When God has broken down the door and walked into our hearts, we learn this. There is so much more to life than our petty ‘needs’ and requirements. Indeed, God always provides what we need anyway and the moment our perspective widens we see for real this “spacious, free life.” (Romans 8:6 [Msg])

Brokenness is a prerequisite for the revelation of life’s essence.

It is good news to be broken—if, through that, we meet God.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.