Broken-Hearted Devotion
One of the most famous Old Testament prophets is Isaiah. In Isaiah 6, the prophet has an encounter with God. As Isaiah stands before the throne of God, he is stunned, broken, and shaken. Often when we worship God, we experience His gentleness and comfort. The experience of Isaiah is an altogether different one. Isaiah encounters the Creator God of the universe and is never the same again. Isaiah witnesses God’s greatness and majesty, and in response to that, he says, “I am undone!” Isaiah knew God for many years before this earth-shaking encounter. While I do not want to minimize Isaiah’s love and commitment to God, after the encounter recorded in Isaiah 6, Isaiah’s world is turned upside down. Isaiah has been given an intimate view of God.
I do not think it is possible to have a clear and accurate view of God without going through the valley of brokenness. We do not like to think outside of our limited perspectives. When I am confronted by the majesty and immensity of God’s greatness, it is too much to take in. My view of the world is too small. My definition of great and amazing, my idea of splendor, are inadequate when compared with God. To put it bluntly, I have no room to brag about the hole I dug in my backyard when I speak with the God who made the Grand Canyon.
When we consider why Isaiah was undone and broken, there are several issues to examine. Isaiah was a sinful man standing in the presence of a sinless, perfect God. How could a puny man stand in the presence of the God who spoke the creation into existence? What kind of worship, what kind of applause, what accolades could Isaiah offer up that would compare to God being worshipped by the angelic multitudes of Heaven? To use an old phrase, Isaiah must have thought, “I’ll just shut my mouth!”
When I speak of broken-hearted devotion, I am not indicating a bad or destructive thing. Being broken is essential if we are to be remade. Being stripped apart is part of the process where we are put together and made stronger by God. The Apostle Paul describes humanity as clay vessels. If God is the potter and we are the clay, the fires of life and refining are necessary. God’s holy kiln not only smelts impurities out of us, but it also bakes strength and character into us.
As we consider broken-hearted devotion, we should ponder the following questions: Are you a servant of God who is fire-tested? Are you a vessel who is fit for service to God? Many people think they are faithfully and wisely serving God when they are really ignoring God and serving themselves. I am not asking if you are a “cup” or a “bowl”; I am asking if you are “God’s cup” or “God’s bowl." As we live life, we will be molded and shaped by many things. Just as fine china will have a statement (on its bottom side) that says, “made in” wherever, so we will ultimately show where we have been made and who we’ve been made by. Take time to read God’s word. Be willing to spend time seeking God and knowing Him. It is better to be broken by God and remade in this life than to be broken and lose everything in the next life. Keep looking up.