“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.”
Psalm 51:17

When my children were little, they used to bring me their broken toys. Those that I could repair usually ended up being thrown away, because that’s what you do with broken things. But God does not throw away broken things—He wants to use them. The late Vance Havner once said, “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”

Think of all the times in Scripture when God broke things in order to bless others. It was not until Jacob’s natural strength was broken—when his hip was wrenched in that wrestling match—that he came to the point where God could bless him in a powerful way. It was not until Gideon’s 300 soldiers broke the jars in their hands, which symbolized brokenness in their lives, that the hidden light of the torches was able to shine and defeat the enemy. It was only after the poor widow broke the seal on her only remaining jar of oil and began to pour it out that God miraculously multiplied it to pay her debts and meet her needs.

It was only when Mary of Bethany broke her beautiful alabaster jar of perfume—destroying its usefulness and value—that the wonderful fragrance filled the house and Jesus was honored. In fact, it was only when Jesus took the five loaves and broke them that the bread was multiplied to feed the five thousand. Through the very process of the loaves being broken, the miracle occurred. Something miraculous happens in the brokenness, which is why the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus, allowed His body to be broken for us—keeping in mind that not a bone in His body was broken (John 19:36; Psalm 34:20). Yet when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He took bread and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you” (1 Cor. 11:24).

Speaking of His death, the Lord Jesus referred to Himself as a grain of wheat. Unless it is buried and broken in the earth, it remains alone; but when it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24). The Lord goes on to show that we too must be broken in a similar way if we are to be true followers of Christ.

Anchor For Today:
God uses broken things. He is able to use us most when we are pliable in His hands, allowing the Master Potter to remold and reshape the vessel as seems good to Him (Jer. 18:4).