Jan 17 – A Broken and Contrite Heart!

“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16–17)

When you come before the Lord with a broken and contrite heart, His heart melts with compassion. He stretches out His hand to embrace you. No matter how great a sinner a person may be, when he comes into God’s presence weeping over his sins with a crushed spirit, the forgiving hand of the Lord touches him, washes him, and makes him clean.

God Himself says: “…I dwell… with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15)

Why does God value a broken heart? Think of a block of raw gold brought out of the mine. First it is crushed and broken. Then it is placed in the furnace. Only then does it emerge as pure gold and finally become a beautiful ornament. So it is with your life. When trials break your heart, God uses those very experiences to refine you into pure gold.

Job went through deep sorrows and shattering experiences—yet every crushing moment in his life ultimately became a blessing. Consider the rose. To extract fragrant oil, the rose must be crushed. Only then does its sweetest aroma come forth.

In the same way, for you to release a fragrance pleasing to God, you must joyfully walk the path He leads—even when that path breaks you. The alabaster flask of fragrant oil produced no aroma while it remained unbroken. But when it was broken and poured at the feet of Jesus, the entire house was filled with its fragrance.

Likewise, when your heart is broken and your tears are poured out at the feet of Christ, all of heaven takes notice. A prayer that rises from a contrite heart goes straight into the presence of God.

When Jesus took the bread in His hands, He broke it. That broken bread foreshadowed His own body broken on the cross. On Calvary His body was torn, shredded, wounded. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Look to the Son of God who was broken for you. He understands every pain of your broken heart. He never ignores your tears. Your crushed spirit touches His heart deeply. With His tender, golden hand, He wipes away every tear.

Verse for further meditation: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)