“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
After hearing about a continuous spirit of revival in Central East Africa, the door of opportunity opened for Norman Grubb to visit there in 1950. Later he wrote a little booklet entitled, “Continuous Revival” in an effort to put into words what the Lord taught him personally through that visit. According to Grubb, he learned that brokenness is the key word in continuous revival!
David learned this truth at the critical point of his own brokenness in Psalm 51. Some question why David’s repentance was acceptable to God after he had seen to the murder of the husband of Bathsheba, and Saul’s repentance was unacceptable for the sin of failing to slaughter the Amalekites that many would view as much less serious! Each was confronted for their sin by a prophet of God, Saul by Samuel, and David by Nathan, and both admitted their sin before God. However Saul’s repentance was shown to be defective, because he asked Samuel to hide the sin from the people!
It is imperative in such a time as this that we as God’s people re-learn the value the Lord places on humility. The kind of humility that leads to one’s brokenness. Listen once again to the Lord’s first condition for revival, “If My people who are called by My Name, HUMBLE themselves…”.
The enemy will always have voices that conflict with His Word of Truth! Why do you think there has been such an explosion of emphasis on self-seeking, self-reliance and self-justifying in the Christian life? We avoid brokenness at our own peril!
Micah Stampley wrote the little chorus that includes these lyrics,
“Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness, brokenness is what You want from me. Take my heart and form it. Take my mind transform it. Take my will conform it. To Yours, to Yours, O Lord!”
Amen,
Jon Moore