Normally when we think of broken things we view them as damaged goods and of little value. But in the economy of God, our Lord uses broken things to produce wonderful results. I love how the late Vance Havner spoke of how God uses broken things: “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.”1
My friends it is only when a person is totally broken that God can really use them to advance the kingdom of God. As Vance Havner stated above it was only when Peter was totally broken that He could restore him into a right relationship with Himself and supply him with even greater power than before.
The Bible is full of examples of how God used and restored broken people into useful vessels for His kingdom. We read of how King David when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet for his sins of adultery and murder (see my devotion from March 11, 2024), finally repented with a broken and contrite heart. The results were simply amazing. God forgave him his sins, allowed him to stay as king, and restored the joy of the Lord to his heart.
Another example of how God can use and restore a broken vessel concerns King Hezekiah. In (2 Kings 20) we read about how King Hezekiah became ill and was about to die. Notice was King Hezekiah does in (2 Kings 20:2-3): “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” Notice what the Lord does in (2 Kings 20:6): “I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.” Again we see how when Hezekiah weep bitterly and was totally broken, God moved in an amazing way.
And when Nehemiah was informed by Hanani that the city of Jerusalem was in danger of collapse (Read Nehemiah 1) notice what he did. We read: “So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4). Nehemiah goes on in (Nehemiah 1:6-7) to confess that he knows that the sins of the people are what has caused this calamity. For we read: “please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.” And once again God, when He sees a true broken heart, grants Nehemiah great favor from King Artaxerxes (Read Nehemiah 2).
Notice that in all three of these examples the key to being used by God and restored to a life of joy and contentment is when God’s servants recognize their need to come humbly and broken before the Lord when they either sin or are in need of divine help.
So the next time you are in need of divine help remember that coming to God broken, either over a sin in our life or the need to cry out for God’s help in a situation, is often the key to seeing God move mightily on our behalf!