Finding Hope and Purpose in Brokenness

Devotional

Day 1: Worship as a Sacrifice of Praise

In moments of brokenness, God invites us to see Him with renewed clarity and to worship Him even when His presence feels distant. Worship becomes a profound act of faith, a sacrifice of praise that acknowledges God's worthiness despite our circumstances. This act of worship is not about feeling good but about trusting in God's heart when His hand seems hidden. It is a testament to our belief in His goodness and sovereignty, even when life is challenging. By choosing to worship, we align our hearts with God's truth and open ourselves to His transformative work in our lives. [06:26]

"Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!" (1 Chronicles 16:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you find it hardest to worship God right now? How can you offer a sacrifice of praise in that area today?

Day 2: Endurance Through Trials

Trials are not merely obstacles but opportunities for growth and maturity. Just as athletes train to build stamina, our faith is strengthened through the challenges we face. James 1 reminds us that trials produce endurance, shaping us into mature and complete individuals. A faith that has been tested is a faith that can be trusted. Through endurance, we learn to persevere, even when the path is difficult, and to trust that God is using these experiences to prepare us for future challenges. [12:12]

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: What is a current trial you are facing, and how might God be using it to build endurance in you? How can you lean into this process today?

Day 3: Empathy Born from Affliction

The comfort we receive from God in our afflictions is not meant to be hoarded but shared. Our experiences of brokenness become opportunities for ministry, community, healing, and redemption. By sharing the comfort we have received, we develop a new empathy for others, offering hope and encouragement to those walking similar paths. This empathy allows us to connect deeply with others, reminding them that they are not alone and that God is present in their struggles. [16:47]

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life is going through a difficult time, and how can you offer them the comfort and empathy you have received from God?

Day 4: The Power of Sharing Your Story

Our stories of brokenness and healing are powerful tools for ministry. By sharing our experiences, we offer hope and encouragement to others, reminding them that they are not alone. Our stories are not solely for us; they are meant to inspire and uplift others, demonstrating God's faithfulness and the possibility of redemption. Sharing your story can be a vulnerable act, but it is also a profound way to witness to God's work in your life and to build community with others. [27:57]

"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." (Revelation 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your story could you share with someone today to offer them hope and encouragement? How might God use your testimony to impact their life?

Day 5: Trusting in God's Sovereign Plan

Even in the darkest moments, God is faithful, and He will use our experiences for His glory and the good of others. Romans 8:28 assures us that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Trusting in God's plan requires faith that He is working behind the scenes, even when we cannot see it. This trust is not passive but active, inviting us to participate in God's redemptive work in the world and to believe that He is using our brokenness for a greater purpose. [29:01]

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to trust God's plan? How can you actively choose to trust Him in that area today?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound journey of navigating life after experiencing brokenness. We delved into the question of "what now?" after enduring life's trials and tribulations. Reflecting on personal experiences, such as the loss of a child, we examined how God uses these moments to shape and mold us, even when we don't fully understand His purpose. Through scripture, we discovered that God desires us to live with a renewed view of His glory, increased endurance, and a new empathy for others.

Psalm 40 reminds us that God lifts us from the desolate pits of life, setting our feet on solid ground and putting a new song in our hearts. This new song is a call to worship, a reminder to assign worth to God even when we don't feel like it. Worship becomes a sacrifice of praise, a testament to our trust in God's heart when His hand seems hidden.

James 1 teaches us that trials produce endurance, shaping us into mature and complete individuals. Just as athletes undergo rigorous training to build stamina, God allows brokenness to prepare us for future challenges. A faith that has been tested is a faith that can be trusted, and through endurance, we learn to keep going, even when the path is difficult.

2 Corinthians 1 reveals that the comfort we receive from God in our afflictions is meant to be shared with others. Our experiences are not solely for us; they are opportunities for ministry, community, healing, and redemption. By sharing our stories, we offer hope and encouragement to those walking similar paths, reminding them that they are not alone.

Ultimately, brokenness is only hopeless if we attempt to navigate it without God and others. Romans 8:28 assures us that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Even in the darkest moments, God is faithful, and He will use our experiences for His glory and the good of others.

Key Takeaways

1. A New View of God's Glory: After brokenness, God desires us to see Him rightly, which requires seeing ourselves rightly. Worship becomes a sacrifice of praise, a testament to our trust in God's heart when His hand seems hidden. [06:26]
2. Increased Endurance: Trials produce endurance, shaping us into mature and complete individuals. A faith that has been tested is a faith that can be trusted, and through endurance, we learn to keep going, even when the path is difficult. [12:12]
3. Empathy for Others: The comfort we receive from God in our afflictions is meant to be shared with others. Our experiences are opportunities for ministry, community, healing, and redemption. [16:47]
4. Sharing Your Story: By sharing our stories, we offer hope and encouragement to those walking similar paths, reminding them that they are not alone. Our experiences are not solely for us; they are meant to inspire and uplift others. [27:57]
5. Trusting God's Plan: Romans 8:28 assures us that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Even in the darkest moments, God is faithful, and He will use our experiences for His glory and the good of others. [29:01]
** [29:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - Introduction to the Series
[00:43] - Personal Story of Brokenness
[02:28] - The Dream of Parenthood
[04:04] - Facing Life's "What Now" Moments
[05:06] - God's Checkups and Our Response
[06:26] - A New View of God's Glory
[07:46] - The Metaphor of Clay and The Potter
[09:20] - Worship as a Response to Rescue
[11:53] - Increased Endurance Through Trials
[13:29] - The Purpose of Endurance
[16:47] - Developing Empathy for Others
[19:03] - The Power of Shared Experiences
[23:42] - Redemption in Broken Dreams
[27:57] - Sharing Your Story
[29:01] - Trusting God's Plan

Sermon Clips

"Psalm 40 says this it says I waited patiently for the Lord and he turned to me and he heard My Cry for Help he brought me up from a desolate pit out of the muddy clay and he set my feet on a rock making my steps secure he put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God many will see and fear and they will trust in the Lord how happy is anyone who has put his Trust in the Lord and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies." [00:06:32]

"I think this first result that God wants this new view of his glory is he wants us to see him rightly and for us to see him rightly we have to see ourselves rightly and so Don mentioned uh Pastor Don mentioned in week one that God allows Brokenness in our lives to maybe Shake us from self-reliance and that's where we find David here in Psalm 40 he's in a he's in a situation that he describes as a a desolate pit he's in muddy clay and Clay is a metaphor used in Scripture that describes our relationship with God right clay speaks to how fragile we are." [00:07:46]

"God will use experiences and trials to shape us he will do what's necessary for us to see him as we should and so what does David say happens next when he's in that pit it he talks he cries out for help and it says he gives this imagery of God Bend in down and pulling David up says he pulled me up out of the pit he inclined to me and I love that imagery love the imagery there and how does David respond to this rescue he worships he worships he says that God put a new song in his heart it's it's worship and what is worship worship is assigning Worth to God it's it's giving him glory and praise for something only he can do for seeing him as he is." [00:09:20]

"James chapter 1 and it says this this says consider it a great joy my brothers and sisters when you experience various trials because you know the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing the next desired result from Brokenness is an increased endurance God orchestrates and allows events in your life that test your faith for your good." [00:12:12]

"God allows Brokenness in our lives for the same thing to train us to prepare us for a situation Pastor Greg gelle says this he says a faith that has been tested is a faith that can be trusted because if we're honest this morning it's so easy to have faith and trust in God when his plan and my plan meet up when he's following my script and life is good right it's easy to have faith in but when he goes off my script onto his that sense of urgency is different it's so much harder in that moment to put faith and trust in him." [00:13:29]

"God tests our faith to prove our faith and just like those conditioning drills the first test is right but you you get through it and you get endurance and you keep going and you keep going go God Longs for you to endure to the end he desires it when you feel like giving up when you want to quit that you keep going James chapter 1:12 says this say blessed is the one who endures trials because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." [00:15:03]

"Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and the God of All Comfort he Comforts Us in all of our Affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of Affliction through the comfort that we ourselves receive from God this might sound strange but the work that God does in your life is never exclusively for you it's never exclusively for you God always does things with others in mind even salvation even though we are saved personally we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior our personal Lord and Savior it is God's desire like Matthew 5 says that you live in such a way that it inspires other people towards Jesus and towards salvation." [00:16:47]

"When we walk through Brokenness the enemy would love to use this as an opportunity to to move us away from the Lord move us away from others make us feel alone and isolated to make you feel like you're the only person who's ever experience this and there'd be nobody who would understand but on the other hand God when we walk through Brokenness his desire is that we move closer towards him and towards others you see Christian Life a a life in the spirit is not a life that's lived in isolation it's not a life that's lived in a silo we need each other." [00:19:03]

"God will allow you to experience things so that you can minister to others going through the same thing and there's nothing more comforting when you are going through something than someone coming alongside you and saying I've been through that too I know how you feel when um when we lost our first baby I'll never forget one of my dear friends Michael Wood him and his wife Abby were the friends that were pregnant when we were I'll never forget that day he he called me and he he kept it very short he said hey man I heard and I'm so sorry I'll see you for breakfast you won't walk alone." [00:23:42]

"What you have experienced what you are experiencing is an opportunity for Ministry but no one will ever know if you don't tell and the enemy would love for you to stay in your Brokenness he would love for you to stay isolated but the reality of it is what you're what you're going through somebody else has gone through somebody else will go through it and here's what happens when we share our story to someone who's been through what we've been through we get to hear that God's faithful that we are not alone and there'll be somebody who goes through what you're going through and they need to know that God is faithful and they're not alone." [00:27:57]

"Brokenness is only hopelessness if you do it without God and others it's only hopeless if you try to do it by yourself and I want to end this series with it's one of my favorite verses is I've looked at this for encouragement so many times but Romans 8:28 we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God who are called according to his purpose it doesn't say some things it says all even those things that you're like I don't know how in the world he'll use this he will you be faithful you keep going you keep trusting." [00:29:01]

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