Rejoicing in Brokenness

I am 25 years old and still very young. Yet, I have experienced many times of brokenness, as I’m sure we all have no matter the age. I have learned time and time again that brokenness isn’t a sentence to depression, but rather an opportunity to rejoice in a love that is unfailing. No matter how much pain I feel when my heart is rent, I’ve learned to give thanks to the LORD God, because He is always with me. They say misery loves company, but His word promises those who revere Jesus: the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.[1] He will bring comfort to our hearts and joy that gives new life. Because He loves us, He doesn’t remove Himself when we are miserable rather He draws near to us offering the grace to rejoice for those who take it.

Many times He doesn’t take away the brokenness, but He gives us the grace to endure it until His perfect work is finished in us. A rent heart is a blessed one for when it is broken, the contents that cause the brokenness can be poured out. Once mended, our hearts can once again be filled with the love, joy, and peace that God so longs to give His children who abide in Him. In Psalm 34:18, David prays, “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” When we have broken hearts, we can be sure that God is near to us and He is our salvation. In my own brokenness, I have experienced His perseverance in loving me. In my weakness, I have experienced how He faithfully keeps me in His strength. In the depths of despair, I have seen the beauty of God. And, so I have rejoiced, because in my brokenness, I have learned that God is my everything and my life is staked in Him. Without this lesson, I would be of those perishing. But, I chose to rejoice in brokenness, and it’s a decision I will make for the rest of my life. God is good, and He will perfect my faith as long as I remain in Him, especially in brokenness.

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[1] Malachi 4:2

He is Faithful

I stake my life on this one statement: God is faithful. Without this truth, the world would cease to exist. It encompasses so much and one thing. He is constant. His constancy is a promise to us of life and not death, to those who seek His face. He says so, and He has to stand by His word, otherwise He would not be faithful and the world would not be. Consider a person you know who lies. How often do you doubt that person’s words? How often do you act on what they say without questioning it? How often do you take that person’s word as law without second thought? We may not even consciously hold those lies against that person, but trust is lost when lies abound. Sadly, God Himself does not lie, and we don’t trust Him. He does everything He promises to do. It may not happen when or how we think it should, but He comes through every time, and still, we have a hard time believing and trusting Him. The other day, I thought about His grace. It’s one thing I can rely on, because He is faithful. I thought about how we find ourselves in situations, and we know they could’ve been worst if not for His grace. Then, it occurred to me that there are so many other similar situations that we miss having to endure because of His grace. He covers things we did not even know we needed covering from. I wondered how many prayers have I prayed and how many things have I desired that would lead me further away from Him and towards death? It sounds dramatic, but what situations has He saved me from in order to prolong my life? There are moments I can recall in which I know He saved me from death, but how many more do I not realize because of His mercy and grace? Because He protected me and gave me something better…something transforming. We pray, and God answers. He is faithful. It’s apart of the relationship that we have with Him. He always answers. It may not be when we think we need it, or what we think we need, or how we think we need it, but He answers us in His grace. It is exactly what we need to live, to love, and to pursue Him. When you find things aren’t working out the way you plan them to or thought they would, it’s not because He didn’t answer your prayers. He is working it out for your good. Whether He’s showing you that the job or person you’ve been praying for isn’t His best for you, or asking you to wait for something, it’s in His faithfulness that He does so. He loves you, and He has His best in mind for you at all cost. At times, it costs those things we hold so dear to our hearts. Whatever the cost, I lay it down, because I can trust Him. It’s not always easy, but it’s always necessary, because through it all He is and will forever be faithful.