How broken can you be?

Good Friday morning, my friends.

Have you ever felt hopeless? Broken? Are you feeling that way today?  I have certainly been down that road.  I came to a place where I just felt I had nothing left.  It was the place of my greatest suffering, and a place that I would never want to revisit. But a funny thing happened on my way to rock bottom - Jesus met me there.  He picked me up, dusted me off.  Or as Psalm 40:2 puts it:

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, 

       out of the mud and mire; 

       he set my feet on a rock 

       and gave me a firm place to stand.

Having faith in God is not simply about believing in God (in His existence) for even the demons believe that (James 2:19).  Faith is about believing God, believing His promises.  If you are in the process of being broken, it just means that He has plans for you. In Jeremiah 29:11, God speaks to us plainly about this:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

If you are feeling the hopelessness and brokenness, turn it over to Him and just watch to see what He does with it.

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace to you,

Bruce

"How broken can you be?" 

Jesus asked, 

His hand stretched down to me. 

For I was kneeling there, 

Crushed in the valley of despair. 

All around me the remains 

Of a life constructed with such pains. 

Pride and self reliance cower, 

Among the shards of my twin towers. 

I see with feeble eyes that Jesus has a pack 

A walking stick, and all I need upon his back. 

"Can you daily be this broken?" 

Is the burning question spoken. 

Then you are ready at last to walk with Me 

And trade your wasted days for shining victory.

--Karen Fillman

(http://christianity.about.com/od/membersubmittedprayers/qt/brokennesspoem.htm)

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca