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The Broken Vessel

by Ken Barnes  
10/23/2016 / Christian Living

I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel. (Psalms 31:12 NASB)

The concept of a man being a broken vessel is hard for the human mind to comprehend. Two messages revealed by the Cross of Christ help us grasp this spiritual state. Namely, that life follows death, and that joy always comes after mourning

As recorded in Matthew 27:46b (NASB), when Jesus hung on the Cross He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" God the Father, because Jesus took on our sins, had to turn away from His beloved Son. Brokenness happens when spiritually we find ourselves all alone and seemingly abandoned, even by God. Brokenness is never brought about by something that we do, but what God does. No amount of self-degradation can affect this spiritual condition. No extent of pain or self-sacrifice we inflict on ourselves can bring about a broken spirit. We just end up being proud of our humility. It reeks of the ugliness of self-righteousness.

So what do we do, just hang out and expect God to do it? I think there is something we can do. It called obedience. When God brings circumstances or people into our lives that test us seemingly beyond our ability to endure, do we run or remain where God has called us. Often our human abilities are overcome by life's perplexities; a spiritual death transpires and a vessel is broken. Only then are God's grace and strength released.

It is difficult for me to write on this topic as one who understands how unbroken I am, but that may be how it works. You are probably not broken if you think you are. Someone once said, "Humility without grace, is pride in disguise.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission. My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine. I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. [email protected]

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