God's Pathway of Brokenness, Pt. 1

You have to crush grapes to get wine, and you must grind wheat to get bread. Often what is true in the physical realm is true in the spiritual.

God's Pathway of Brokenness, Pt. 1

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

(Job 13:15a)

For several weeks, in our REvangelical podcast as well as our daily devotions, we have been studying the 30 life principles that Dr. Charles Stanley preached and lived by. All 30 messages can be viewed online at InTouch.org. Stanley was the pastor of FBC Atlanta, GA for over 50 years and was well-known for his faithfulness to teach the Bible on his In Touch TV broadcast. Stanley passed away on April 18, 2023 at 90 years of age. This week, we will discuss Life Principle #15: "God's Pathway of Brokenness".

I believe you will find this week's devotions both difficult and delightful: difficult because of the subject matter–brokenness is not an easy topic; delightful because, when you see the blessings and benefits brokenness brings to your life and your walk with God, you will be grateful and even delighted. I was blessed, challenged, and also enlightened as I listened to Pastor Stanley teach on this principle in his series of messages. This lesson on how God uses brokenness to shape us may be the very thing that some of you need to hear, as it will provide the missing piece to a confusing season you are walking through.

You have to crush grapes to get wine, and you must grind wheat to get bread. Often what is true in the physical realm is true in the spiritual. God breaks our self-will to make us useful vessels. In the Bible, we read where God works in His people and equips them for service. The tool He often uses is brokenness. He allows us to come to the end of ourselves so we are totally dependent on Him. There are many examples of this principle of God breaking His people to then bless and use them mightily. Job is at the top of the list. God allowed him to be broken severely, but in the end, Job was stronger in his faith and more blessed than at the beginning. God shaped Joseph for 13 years through many hardships before he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. David fled from King Saul for 10 years before he became the king of Israel. But perhaps the best example is the Apostle Paul and how God worked in his life and used hard circumstances to break His servant so God could use him more than any other person God has ever used.

Perhaps you are going through a very difficult season where God is breaking you so He can remake you and use you more powerfully than ever before. I know it is a hard process, but the end will be worth it. I am with you in this process. God is good all the time. He has a plan. Someone said the problem with living sacrifices is they keep crawling off the altar. Let us remain steadfast, fully devoted to Jesus, trusting that He knows best and will work it all out for our good and His glory.