Gracefully Broken

4/4/23

Ps. 119:71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes.

ACTS 14:22 “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

How is it a good thing to be afflicted? To go through pain, tribulations, and hard times? Affliction is necessary. If not for the affliction, how would you know that God would never leave you or forsake you? If not for the pain in your body, how would you know that by His stripes, you're healed.  If not for the financial challenges we face, how would we know that He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider? 

Affliction is necessary because in the affliction comes the testing of our faith, and in that testing we gain experience, and that experience produces endurance, leading us to spiritual maturity and inner peace, because we know the God of peace. It’s not easy to endure the trials and tribulations we go through. When we are ready to give up, God has us yet holding on so that He can do His work in us. He allows us to endure so that His thorough work in us can be developed, completed and perfected. Ensuring that we are lacking in nothing in our faith. Building our character, leading to our spiritual maturity, causing us to pray more often with a purpose and desire to connect with the Lord.This year's retreat theme ‘GRACEFULLY BROKEN’ was inspired bythe testimony of Katherine Wolf. She is a beautiful woman of God with an amazing testimony. She experienced a brain bleed from a massive brain stem stroke that nearly killed her. She survived but was left unable to walk, talk, or swallow and with severe double vision, right ear deafness, and right-side facial paralysis. This former beauty queen, model, and mother to a then-six-month-old baby boy had to redefine her life.  Many of us would look at these circumstances as devastating, but in her testimony, she says “I am grateful that the Lord has allowed me to experience suffering at an early age,”. “The Cross and the suffering of Christ doesn’t appear beautiful at face value, but in the kingdom of God, we know it is the ultimate source of beauty because it means that the end of the story is no longer sadness, pain, and death, but new life—and that’s a beautiful thing.” James 1:2-4 2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

2 Cor 4:7- We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.8-We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

9-persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

I read a devotional journal called ‘Jesus Calling’, and the devotional for May 23rd says,

"Approach each new day with desire to find me. Before you get out of bed, I have already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day. There are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way. Some of the treasures are trials designed to shake you free from Earth-shackles. Others are blessings that reveal My Presence: sunshine, flowers, birds, friendships, answered prayers. I have not abandoned this sin wreck world. I am still richly present in it.  Search for deep treasure as you go through this day. You will find Me along the way.”

The songstress Maurette Brown Clark says “He’s working, even in the rain” That old saying, "If it wasn't for the rain, how could we appreciate the sunshine?"  Think of the growth that happens as a result of the rain.  That rain helps to produce good fruit. Those trials are opportunities to take inventory and evaluate what fruit of the spirit we still need to develop so that we're not lacking anything in the spirit.

vs. 7 tells us that we are as fragile as clay jars.. meaning we will experience sadness, pain, tears, troubles, perplexities, weakness, and fears. Yet, because of the great treasure in our hearts, from our heavenly Father, WE ARE NOT DEFEATED.  Can we see our trials as a treasure?  When you look back over the course of your life and as the song says, "and think things over, I can truly say that I've been blessed.

vs 8-9 Tells us we are: Pressed on every side, Perplexed, Persecuted, Struck Down

This is man's way of seeing things. But it goes on to tell us that through all of that, we are: Not crushed, Not in despair, Not abandoned, Not destroyed. See, my God's ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts. Is. 55:8-9

II Cor 4:16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.vs17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 

When God is the focus of our lives and we see our trials as Him growing us and drawing us closer to Him, we can see how Him getting the glory in our lives outweighs anything we could possibly have to endure. 

The aches, the pains, the trials, the loss of loved ones and relationships, our near-death experiences… God allows our lives to be torn up or almost destroyed in order for it to be restored or renewed.  A surgeon will go in and remove or clean up that which is injured or hurting us or bringing us harm. 

 The hopes are that afterward, the effects of that surgery will leave you better, stronger. But from the point of clean up to the point of restored, there’s healing that needs to take place. That healing will require a season of immobilization, stretching out, strengthening.

Immobilization to not reinjure- This is isolation from the things or people that God deems not of benefit for our walk with Him.

Stretching out in faith and relying fully on God- this is to trust Him and the way He leads.

Strengthening to build us up- This is us filling our lives with the things of God. Study His word, praying, and daily walking with Him. Vs 18  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Takes us back to the last portion of the devotional where we are reminded to: Search for deep treasure as you go through each day. You will find God along the way. What if, instead of viewing suffering or afflictions as a punishment, we chose to embrace it as a privilege that both sanctifies us and allows us to know and experience God at a deeper, more intimate level? God wants to know if you truly know His worth?  Do you want Him or what He can give you or do for you?  Do we want Him to reign over our lives or do we want to tell Him how we want our lives to be run?

Do we want the:

•   HEALER OR THE HEALING

• SAVING OR THE SAVIOR

• GIVER OR THE GIVING

DO WE WANT THESE THINGS MORE THAN JESUS?

Mark.8 Verses 34 to 37

[34] And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.[35] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.[36] For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?[37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Our delight should be found in the good things of God, not of “good” things of this world.  The world sees good as having material wealth & prosperity, but those of us know that God, know that He wants us to prosper in our souls. Through all the trials and tribulations, He is perfecting and growing us, all so our souls may prosper.

3 John. 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Prov 3:6 Tells us to trust in the Lord. 

At some point in life, we all experience trials, hardships, and uncertainty.  We must trust that through it all we are promised God’s Divine guidance.  When we fully trust and acknowledge HIM, He doesn’t just enlighten our path- NOTICE I said enlighten not lighten.  To enlighten means to give some greater knowledge and understanding about a subject (You) or a situation (Trials).  When he enlightens our path, He leads us by the hand.  That leading isn’t about avoiding the trials, hardships, and uncertainty, it’s about leading us towards a life of purpose and abundance.  Embracing our journeys.  Knowing that every experience, whether good or bad has Divine intent behind it.  Look at God’s track record.  He’s famous for doing the impossible.  Look at David and Goliath; the woman with the issue of blood; Daniel in the Lions den; The 3 Hebrew boys; Moses and the Red Sea, The Walls of Jerico… The list goes on and on.  These all have what in common???  They trusted God and HIS process and purpose.  They did not lean to their own understanding.  We don’t always understand God’s methods. And it is not for us to understand.  Our role is to trust and obey while leaving the outcome in God’s hands.

God has written our narrative.  No matter the hardships or difficult chapters; when we read the triumphs in the Bible, we can’t just look at the chapter of the triumph.  There were trials before the heroes of the Bible got to their triumphs. We also must understand that triumphs in God’s sight is restoring us to who He created us to be.  And that restoration does not always imply replacement.

Ø God often brings restoration in the form of:

o   Healing peace- Philippians 4:4-7 NIV: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

o   Renewed strength- Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”

o   Desire for a greater relationship with Him- Jermiah 29:12-14  12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.  13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” 

God draws near to us in our deep moments of sadness and despair.  But we have the 1st responsibility and the is to draw near to Him.  Drawing near to God, means to enter into His presence, to bask in His Glory and to have perfect fellowship with Him. 

And when we have perfect fellowship with Him, our will, our desires turn from what we want to what He wants. When we look for God to only give to us what we want, we don’t want God for who He is, or even His will for our lives, we want Him to serve us.  We are made to worship Him and live our lives for His glory.  When we ask God to use us for His glory, do we mean it? Are we able to accept that His using us could mean not being physically healed or removing whatever that thorn in your side is?  Can we be like the man with leprosy in Matthew 8:1-4  1When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

His desire to be healed was if it was the Lord’s will. We don’t know at the time of our trials, what God’s purpose is, but if we trust Him and His will for our lives, we know that it is for His glory and not ours.

 Let us not forget about Joseph when he was sold into slavery. His suffering was for God’s purpose. Josephs suffering was preparation for what God had promised Abraham.  Had Joseph’s family died in the famine, the promise God made to Abraham, of a great land, a great nation, a great name, that would extend to him, and all his descendants would not have happened.  Although Abraham did not see the promised land, his descendants were blessed to. So the pit-fall he encountered was for a purpose. And he did not go from the pit to the palace overnight; he spent many years as a slave. BUT HIS PITFALL HAD A PURPOSE. And Joseph remained faithful in trusting in God.

When we see the way God sees, we understand that our trials are not meant to destroy or break us... but to shape us. And when we allow Him to shape us, we don't look like what we've been through because we're GRACEFULLY BROKEN.When gracefully broken, the peace of God in our hearts, shines through our smiles.When gracefully broken you wholeheartedly trust in God in spite of.Life is filled with stuff that will try to break us down, break us into pieces.  We don’t know why, or how, BUT it is the GRACE of God that sustains us. And just as we saw in the ‘Broken Pieces Activity’, God will fit those broken pieces of our lives together to create a picture that creates our story, our testimony.

OPEN UP FOR TESTIMONIES OF HOW WE HAVE BEEN GRACEFULLY BROKEN-AND THANKING HIM THAT WE DON’T LOOK LIKE WHAT WE’VE BEEN THROUGH.Dear Lord, thank you for always putting the broken pieces of our life back together. Sometimes, we get in your way, but you are patiently waiting until we are ready to give control back to you, where it belongs. Having the opportunity to share this time with other ladies who encourage and support each other is a blessing. Thank you for all that we have learned here and for helping us to continue to listen to your Word as it guides our way. Please be with us as we open our hearts and minds to what else it is you would have for us to receive this weekend.  And when it is time to depart to go to our respective homes, continue to be with us and help us to be there for one another. In Jesus' name, Amen.