Trusting God in Our Brokenness

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  01/15/24

Throughout the Bible, we learn how the wisdom of God confounds the wisdom of man. And when we look at some of the teachings of Christ, the principles He taught can seem contradictory to conventional knowledge. To be first, we must be last? How much sense does that make, especially today in our ego-driven society?

But Biblical principles contain tremendous Truth. For example, David personally discovered that brokenness leads to godly wholeness. Brokenness can come to the life of the believer in many ways, such as through disappointment, sorrow, and sin.

Sometimes God instructs us to go one way, but we are determined to go another, leading to frustration and brokenness. Sometimes, brokenness comes not because we have done anything wrong but because God wants to test and strengthen our faith. This was true in David’s life before he became king. As King Saul pursued David, God used the fires of affliction in David’s life to shape and mold him for greater service. The Lord also knew that when future difficulty came or disappointment struck, David would be prepared, and his faith would not waver or fail.

Brokenness has a way of revealing our level of faith better than anything else. When it continues over months and even years, we truly learn where the focus of our faith lies. When we begin to identify with the words of David as he fled from a jealous and enraged King Saul (see Psalm 57, 59, 142), then we will know that brokenness is accomplishing its greatest work in our lives.

Remember, if God has chosen you to face a time of brokenness, it will be followed by a season of tremendous blessing.

Prayer: Lord, give me deep faith as I pass through trials and brokenness. Help me to echo the words of David, saying, “I love you, LORD, my strength” (Psalm 18:1). I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10).