Broken in His Presence
Broken in His Presence
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Anyone who knows the manifest presence of God will sooner or later be scorched, incinerated, and reduced to dust and ashes. True worship always leads us to an encounter with the manifest presence of Christ, and that encounter will always lead us in honest brokenness of spirit.
The Hebrew word for broken is ‘daka’ which means ‘to be crushed into fine powder or reduced to dust.’ Normally we think of brokenness in superficial terms—a broken marriage, a broken career, or a broken bone. In reality, it is possible to experience all these levels of brokenness in life without reaching brokenness of spirit. When we encounter the manifest presence of Christ, on the other hand, we come face to face with the infinite superiority of God that not only takes our breath away, it takes our spirit. All pretense, twisted pride, and arrogance instantly vanish. While God can use times of human brokenness to lead us to spiritual brokenness, He can just as easily bring us to spiritual brokenness during good times.
Today, God wants to bring you to spiritual brokenness in His presence. There is nothing phony, fabricated, or self-deprecating about this process. In fact, it is impossible for you to lead yourself to a broken and contrite heart; only God can do it for you.
Father God, I open my heart today to Your manifest presence. Crush in me my twisted pride and arrogance. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Anyone who knows the manifest presence of God will sooner or later be scorched, incinerated, and reduced to dust and ashes. True worship always leads us to an encounter with the manifest presence of Christ, and that encounter will always lead us in honest brokenness of spirit.
The Hebrew word for broken is ‘daka’ which means ‘to be crushed into fine powder or reduced to dust.’ Normally we think of brokenness in superficial terms—a broken marriage, a broken career, or a broken bone. In reality, it is possible to experience all these levels of brokenness in life without reaching brokenness of spirit. When we encounter the manifest presence of Christ, on the other hand, we come face to face with the infinite superiority of God that not only takes our breath away, it takes our spirit. All pretense, twisted pride, and arrogance instantly vanish. While God can use times of human brokenness to lead us to spiritual brokenness, He can just as easily bring us to spiritual brokenness during good times.
Today, God wants to bring you to spiritual brokenness in His presence. There is nothing phony, fabricated, or self-deprecating about this process. In fact, it is impossible for you to lead yourself to a broken and contrite heart; only God can do it for you.
Father God, I open my heart today to Your manifest presence. Crush in me my twisted pride and arrogance. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
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