The Blessing of Brokenness

The following devotional thought appears today on David Jeremiah's Turning Point online devotional. Food for thought!

My heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake. - Jeremiah 23:9

The word "broken" occurs 28 times in the book of Jeremiah, and 3 more times in his book of Lamentations. He was a man whose heart was broken by the sins of his people and the tragedies of his times. We feel his sadness throughout the book as he says things like: "Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow?" (Jeremiah 20:18).

Yet think of how greatly God used Jeremiah despite—or because of—his broken heart! He drew people to God in his own day, he predicted the return of Israel from exile in future days, and his book has been ministering to the world for 2600 years.

The Bible says that God is able to comfort others with the comfort He gives to us in broken times (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

We can't always avoid broken hearts, broken relationships, broken promises, and even broken items. But when our brokenness is laid at the feet of Jesus, He can use our shattered circumstances to draw others to Him, and we can rejoice in spite of our pain. After all, Jesus himself was broken and spilled out for us.

"Come, oh come, with thy broken heart, weary and worn with care; Come and kneel at the open door, Jesus is waiting there." - Fanny Crosby