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A Broken Spirit
Andrea Lende • January 15, 2021
Psalm 51:17
A Broken Spirit
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/A-Broken-Spirit-ep0sg4
Psalm 51:17
“My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.”
King David’s heart was broken for his sin.
He loved God so much that He didn’t want to sin.
He didn’t plan to sin.
And, when he did, his heart was full of grief.
Isn’t that the way we feel at times?
The closer we get to the Lord the more we want to please Him.
Sometimes I feel that He has been working on me for so long that I must be almost past at least some of my faults and failures.
Then I bump into those old habits and responses.
I find myself acting the way I used to.
In ways that don’t exemplify a godly life.
The good news is that the Lord is full of grace.
He sent His Son so that we are fully forgiven.
Every time.
And anytime.
King David was sitting in a place of a broken heart and spirit for his sin.
So, we can know that we are in the right place too our hearts break.
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.”
This passage is so comforting to me.
I know the Lord doesn’t want me to be burdened with a broken heart.
He understands my heart.
He understands my heart better than I do.
He enfolds us all in His love when we are broken.
He lifts us up to Him and His presence when we are forlorn.
He tends to our needs and loves us beyond our capacity to understand.
His mercy is unending.
His grace overflows.
We are made whole by Him Who was broken.
He understands our pain.
Today I choose to dwell in the comfort of the Most-High God and be comforted by Him.
May you find the Lord is close to you and holds your heart in His hands.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me You are close to me, and will tend to my broken heart and spirit. Thank You for reminding me it is ok to have a broken heart for sin. You, O God, are quick to forgive and quick to cover me in grace. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for my failures and short comings. Please repair all that is broken. Help me do better and be better so I may serve You in the fullness of Your will. Fix the parts of my heart and soul that do not serve Your purpose and help me come up higher in all ways. Speak gently to my spirit as I learn more of You. Strengthen me to obey Your commands. Soften my heart so I have more understanding of You Lord. Help me love where love is absent, Father. Help me love the unlovely. Put compassion into my heart. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and will keep you close to Me as I teach you more of Me.
Response: Undeserving of Your time and attention, thank You most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.