March 29, 2024

God and the Broken Spirit

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Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart, You, God, will not despise.
Psalms 51:15-17

It is hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since our nation was attacked and brought almost to its knees by people who did not agree with our religious, political, or social values and culture.  Those same people, now members of different groups, are striving to bring us down once again.  It may or may not happen.  We must be aware and prayerful every day.  Our world changed thirteen years ago, and it is never going to be the way it was before.

I remember where I was on that fateful day. I was away at college, and I called my mother to tell her about the first tower. We were both thinking it was an accident. Then I saw the second plane hit. I knew things were going to be different. Later that evening, pictures of people helping others began to emerge. People were rushing to volunteer at all three sites of the attack. It was amazing to see people helping others. It was also amazing that so many people also returned to church for a while afterward.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

Thirteen years ago, we were in trouble. The nation was grieving the loss of thousands of people. The unimaginable had happened. The people of this nation started to turn to the one thing that has always been solid in this country—God. Many people turned to Him because they were in shock and disbelief, and were hurting. He was with us. He never left us. Many saw the attacks as a wake-up call from God that anything could happen at any time and anywhere.

Job dealt with pain and hurt as the devil tried to tempt him to turn from God. He lost everything. He lost his wealth and his family in just an instant. Yet his faith never wavered. He relied on God to pull him through the bad times. In Job 1:20-22, Job still worshipped the Lord. He acknowledged that God can give and God can take away. Job did not question God about what had happened. He continued to worship God and maintain his righteousness.

Once the events of 9/11 ended that day, the grief and questions did not end. They are forever ingrained in the memories of those who lived it or witnessed it from far away. As a nation we sought solace in God. Many people still do—in good and bad times. God holds us up. Our spirits may have been broken…but God was there to comfort and heal our nation.

 

Dear Heavenly Father: We thank You for healing our nation back on 9/11/01. Now we ask that You heal our nation again as people begin to turn from You again. We pray that those who have turned away would return to You with swiftness before Your return. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Broken Hallelujah

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I can barely stand right now.
Everything is crashing down,
And I wonder where You are.

I try to find the words to pray.
I don’t always know what to say,
But You’re the one that can hear my heart.

Even though I don’t know what your plan is,
I know You’re making beauty from these ashes.

I’ve seen joy and I’ve seen pain
On my knees, I call Your name
Here’s my broken hallelujah
With nothing left to hold onto
I raise these empty hands to You
Here’s my broken hallelujah

You know the things that have brought me here.
You know the story of every tear.
‘Cause You’ve been here from the very start.

Even though I don’t know what your plan is,
I know You’re making beauty from these ashes.

When all is taken away, don’t let my heart be changed.
Let me always sing Hallelujah
When I feel afraid, don’t let my hope be erased
Let me always sing Hallelujah.
Let me always sing Hallelujah.

I will always sing
I will always sing
Here’s my broken hallelujah.

 Writer(s): Josh Havens/Matt Fuqua/Jordan Mohilowski/Dan Ostebo
Performed by The Afters

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The band, “The Afters,” wrote this song about Job and all the things he went through. Each band member put himself in Job’s place and challenged himself to this: if each one of us lost it all, and we had the trials that Job went through, (death, loss, illness etc.,) would we still praise God for Who He is and for what He has given us? Would we believe that He is good always, even when we don’t like what He gives? And the answer came in a song…this song.  (If you would like to hear more from The Afters about the story behind this song, click here.)

Can you relate? I know for me there are days that just putting one foot in front of the other is all I can do. Everything is so uncertain and the things I have prayed for seem light years away, yet I still praise Him and believe that He is good always and He loves me so much. I see all the little miracles throughout my days and although no one else may understand, I do and I am amazed that He is in the small details of my life. Sometimes the ‘Hallelujah!’ is broken, because I am. But as the song says, my heart is not changed. I am still so in love with my God.

There are times that I don’t know what to pray. Those are the times that I just hold out my empty arms and receive all He has to give  me. When we don’t know what we need, He does. And sometimes He allows pain into our lives and maybe we don’t know why but if we were to see the big picture, we would never change a thing. Because He is our Creator and He loves us more than anyone ever could, we trust Him in these times and rest in Him.

Where are you today? Are you wondering where He is right now? If you are going through a storm, He is right there with you. If you are on a mountain top, He walked with you all the way there. He never leaves you, regardless of how you feel. So praise Him with everything you have! Hold out those empty hands and let Him fill you with all He has for you. Because He is always worthy to be praised, even if your praise feels a little broken…

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mothers womb and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and The Lord has taken away;
may the name of The Lord be praised.”
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Job 1:20-22 NIV

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Let us pray: Dearest Heavenly Father, You are worthy to be praised and worshipped. Thank You for the grace that we don’t deserve. You will take our ‘hallelujahs’ however they come. Even when we feel empty, and are in need, You know the answers before we ask. Lord, we ask that You give us the will and the courage to praise You, even when we aren’t where we want to be and we  have lost all we thought was important. When we have You, we have all we need. We love You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.