So many times we come to the place where prayer and seeking the Lord comes from desperation; from confusion or doubt, tough circumstances and a lack of hope. God wants all of us; all of the time…but what does that look like? When we can be broken before the Lord, He honors our vulnerability and desperation. God will raise us up despite our circumstances and in light of our fleshly broken hearts, doubt and fear.
Romans 8:28 reminds us that “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” This verse is encouraging because it means that in EVERY instance, God is watching out for us. Not everything will be easy. The symbolic cross that we carry daily has not been promised to be light, we will endure hardships, but we can be dependant on our Savior to work all things for the betterment of those who love Him!
Isn’t it awesome that God will work despite our feelings of inadequacy, despite our failed relationships, insecurities and failures? Whether we realize it or not, God knows our value, our worth and our future. He holds and knows ALL THINGS.
Being broken before the Lord is a beautiful thing; it puts us in a place where we NEED him to work His perfect and good will. When we, in and of ourselves realize that our plans and ambitions are not enough, we grant God access to do His will in His timing.
They say that we must dream big enough for God’s hand to be necessary; if we dream within our own capabilities, what then are we saying about the power and authority of God in our own lives?
We must remember in our state of brokenness, to use the resources that have been divinely given; the friends, leaders, promises and time that have been placed into our lives.
Friends and Leaders can be a tangible means of seeing and experiencing God’s love. Sometimes when we do not have the strength or perseverance to seek the Lord, He will place people along side of us to push us, encourage us and speak life into the dead places; don’t take those people for granted. I have SO MANY times been impacted and changed by the Love of Christ through words and promises that He has spoken through the people around me.
Seek holiness and righteousness not only for the Glory and The Kingdom of God, but also for those around you- your obedience to God and the act of pressing into His word can change the life of those around you.
God’s promises stand firm no matter WHAT. In Psalm 37, David writes that when we “Do good and dwell in His land, we will enjoy safe pasture.” It also states in Psalm 37 that “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn…”Wow! What a promise! Stay committed to the Lord and pursue righteousness in every arena and through our circumstances, because faithfulness to The Lord should not be based on circumstances. Remember His promises.
Our time, good, bad and ugly can be used as a time of preparation. Sometimes we feel out of place, persecuted or discouraged. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was drowning in persecution, yet he boasted in his suffering, saying, “…I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I love the fact that when we die to ourselves, new life and a new Spirit can come and pick up the pieces, make a new life, save us and take us into a higher calling!
How can you allow God to work within your brokenness? What do you need to lay down in order for God to turn the “ashes” of bitterness, hatred, regret and doubt into beauty? How can you boast in your suffering in order for God to be glorified?
2 comments:
Caitlin, this is beautiful! your words touched me.
Amazing!! Yes!! We need to be broken even before the brokenness comes!
If we could stay in a place of desperation..in deep need.. stay in brokenesness even before the crisis falls upon us we would already be right where we need to be at the feet of the Lord.
Staying humble and broken is a battle. As soon as the break thru comes, the healing, the relationship, the job, the blessing, the answered prayer... we get off our knees. We begin again to lean hard into our "I wants" and building again our own kingdoms and the lives we've always imagined for ourselves.
I believe God wants a people who never leave their knees. They never rise up on their own accord, their own strength and begin to walk
but they stay in a low place so His name can be lifted high.
I believe we often need Him MORE when things are going well. When we get the paycheck, when our territory and influence is expanded, when the idea comes, when we are healed, set free. We need Him ever more to show us what to do with all of these things. Lest pride, selfish ambition and our own desires take over and lead us to set back, pain, destruction.. then we drop to our knees again to start over.
See the cycle? The roller coaster? This is hardly what He intended.
Let's stay on our knees, let's stay at the feet of Jesus realizing He's not there to give us a healing or to bless us so we can get back on our horse and trod off into our destiny but He is our very destiny! He longs to restore us and make our path straight but He wants to do the walking this time!
Lord make us zeros! Like PC said we don't pray for the Lord to give us strength but we pray "Lord kill me!" haha love this.
Lord we look upon You as we make a spacious place for you in our souls. We are empty, humble people forever desperate for more of You. We GLADLY make ourselves empty for You to come and expand in us, indwell in every area of our beings! Our lives are a love offering to You! We bring you a REAL song! Operate these bodies You created for we are holding nothing back we are wholly Yours!!
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