I once asked the Lord why He allowed me to be so broken, and He whispered back into my heart, “to draw you closer to Myself”.
I have counseled so many, and I want you to know something, everyone is broken in one way or another. You are not alone.
The Devil will say that you are on your own. The Devil lies. You are not on your own. The Father watches over you. Jesus is praying for you. The Holy Spirit is in you. Angels surround you. There are many godly saints that can come alongside you.
As a Christian, it is better to be broken yourself than to be breaking others. Put down your stones.
I always know a mature saint who has suffered much, not by what they know, but how they treat others. “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12:10).
Don’t give up
Never lose hope. The Devil will tell you the pain is too much. The Devil is a liar. Jesus is more than enough, and He can comfort you from whatever it is you are going through. Go to Jesus, you will never go wrong following that advice.
When people tell you that you don’t have a prayer, simply fall to your knees and prove them wrong.
Only God can heal the wounds of your soul. “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul” (Psalm 94:19).
It is in our darkest moments that we will see His light. It is in our silent despair that we will hear His soft voice. It is in our loneliness that we will feel His presence. It is when we can’t see any way out that we can see Him coming in.
Suffering produces
Sometimes God breaks you, so He can pour through you.
Someday you will understand why your suffering was so great. But for now, just trust Him, and surrender your life to Him. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
He fills the deepest wells with the greatest filling.
We think that every good thing is from God and all suffering is of the Devil. Yet the Lord uses suffering for our gain and the Devil uses the good pleasures of this life for our demise.
Let the suffering in your life mean something. “…But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God” (1 Peter 2:20).
The river flows through the weakest part of the land. So it is with the power of God, it flows through the weakest parts of us.
If you want to have a break through, then you need to be prepared for something to be broken. It is those who have been broken down the most that are shaped to all that God would have them to be. “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jeremiah 18:4).
God has a purpose in your brokenness. It is the cracks in your soul that make you the unique person that you are. Nobody can be you because only you have been through what you have been through.
Helping others
Consider that He has broken your heart, that He then might flow through it onto others.
If you want to reach the broken, be the broken.
Be the offering, the broken bread and poured out wine, that your life would be a sacrifice to all that the Lord might do through it.
Think of your pain and know others suffer in the same way. Make it your passion to help that person in a way that you were helped, or that you so desperately needed it. That the “…God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
You become the instrument of healing as you yourself are being healed.
Blessings to you,
Paul
All Scripture is in red and uses the NKJV (New King James Version) translation unless otherwise noted.
Yes, I have been in that broken place , I know that I had to choose with God’s help & direction to get out. Taking courses at my church & I believe I can be a blessing to others because I was there Thank you Jesus that you care so much about all the details of my life!
This is such a good word Carol, that though we may be in a broken place, we can by His leading be pulled back out, for His glory, that we can be used of Him. And how important it is that we turn to our churches and the groups and courses they may offer that we can be helped.
Good word Brother Paul, it truly blessed my soul!!!
Thank you so much Lenai! You are a blessing to so many. Pray you are still teaching in the prisons!
Hello, Paul – Yet more tailor-made wisdom for me, at precisely the moment I sorely need it. Many thanks again, Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth, thank you so much, I am glad that it was helpful. I can tell you that it came at the right moment for me too. We serve a mighty Lord.
Thank you so much for this message. It is exactly what I needed today. I recently closed my faith based gift shop. I closed it for several reasons, but the main reason was the Lord had awakened me one early morning in December with a loud voice saying, “Receive your new assignment with joy!” Over the next couple of months, I had prayed for the Lord to reveal my new “assignment”, but the Holy Spirit kept telling me I first needed to be released from my current assignment (close the gift shop). Boy does the enemy try to interfere with God’s plan! He would fill my head with excuses of why I shouldn’t close it. I finally did the end of February. Now I am waiting on the Lord, but it has been difficult, the enemy has beating me up with lies, trying to make me believe I didn’t hear from God. I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster, but I know my God is bigger and stronger than anything the enemy tries to defeat me with!
Some time back I wrote, “When God gives you a calling that makes no sense to the world, it is then you are walking on Kingdom principles.” I believe this because I have lived it. I was in prison ministry and things were going quite well. I felt myself being a good servant and doing His will. I loved to serve and I loved that ministry. But the Lord called me out. It took months to get through to me from the first call to the final word, but i obeyed. Then there were many flat months after that, a years worth. Then it changed. Never rush a God who has perfect timing.
It is currently 3:55 a.m. where I live and I felt the Lord compel me to read your latest post. The last couple of months have been difficult for many reasons and I have been trying to reconcile a loss that has broken my heart. And yet God in His absolute faithfulness restores my soul piece by piece.
I am reminded of a word I believe the Lord gave me a number of months ago; ‘Fill the need in others lives, that you have in your own life.’, it came at a time when I was desperately lonely and emotionally spent from wrestling with my worth in this world. The lost I am going through has cut me through and again I hear His whispers, ‘Fill the need in others lives……’
Thank you for your obedience to the Lord’s call on your life Paul. You have quite unknowingly filled a need in a strangers life and this stranger is grateful.
Peace
Thank you so much for posting this encouraging word. I think there are so many hurting out there that need to read posts exactly like what you have here. Too often we can feel as if we are all alone in going through things, but all around us people are hurting. Thank you for your words from the Lord, such good words, this is exactly the voice of the Lord and how He would encourage us. Praying His favor and His blessings upon you, that as you pour out to others, He will pour even more into you.
Going through a very trying time right now. These words are just what I need! I have saved it and will continue to read it as the reminders I need. Thank you so much.
So sorry you are in a bad time. Praying the Lord’s favor over you to get you through it and to lift you into a new season. I pray that you would stay in prayer and in the Word every day.
Paul!!!
Hard day, and near the close of it I asked the lord why each night am I able to find calmness, peace ? He said because the show is over, your husband has gone to bed , the devil showed him how you cling to your bible , prayed to your god , cried your tears and shook with fear, but all those things failed you miserably.
My husband is an unbeliever!
Praying for close to 30 years for his salvation. Wow did this open my eyes, and my heart and make me take a good long look at who I really am in Christ!! Thanking the Lord for this lesson.
Keep praying for him Rita. One of my most favorite verses is from James 5:16 “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”. How much our God longs for the diligence in prayer from His saints. I am convinced that the most powerful message we can preach to our families is in the life we live. Not that we live a legalistic life that appears better, but that we live a peace that surpasses understanding, that we live a love that has no end, that we live a life that draws people and does not reject them. Praying that through you the Lord would make Himself known to your husband.
Once again, I’m so thankful to have come upon your path. I learn something new everytime I read a post. It is very enlightening and encouraging. The Lord continues to show me I’m not alone in this journey. When I need strength he brings my brothers and sisters in Christ to my side. I love to find what I believe and know others do as well. I pray for our light within to shine onto others for the salvation of all our souls. God’s blessings and peace be with you always.
Thank you so much for your encouragement! I think what you said is so important, that none of us is alone on our journey. It is our pride that tells us we can do it alone. But it is in the spirit of submission to Christ, where we meet like-minded brothers and sisters that can help us as we help them. We need each other. God has designed us to depend on each other as well as to depend upon Him. Blessings to you!