Christianity,  Nonfiction

Brokenness: The Heart God Revives

The other day I pulled open the kitchen drawer where I keep my Bible, and saw my old photocopy of this list. It’s a comparison between proud, unbroken people, and broken people. I’ve had it for years — it was given to me by a friend at our old church, where much was made (in talk) of the idea of brokenness. I pulled it out and read through it again.

In all honesty, I don’t pan out all that well as a broken person. I saw far too many descriptors in the left-hand column that fit me, whether they ever make it out to the surface or not. I have what Dallas Willard calls “sin management systems” to attack some of these characteristics and subdue them. But in the truly humble heart they should be simply washed away.

The list is a summary of one chapter of this book, where Nancy Leigh DeMoss unpacks the concept of brokenness with the clarity I needed. Awhile back, I read (and reviewed) Roy Hession’s Calvary Road, and that too was helpful. But this was better.

The word “brokenness” has enough layers of meaning that when tossed around in Christian circles it can be confusing. Part of the history of our former church was a revival that had occurred perhaps ten years before we started attending there, and the biblical brokenness DeMoss discusses played a major role in preparing the way. Brokenness in this sense means humility, surrender to God. As DeMoss writes, it comes from the word “contrite,” which suggests

something that is crushed into small particles or ground into powder, as a rock is pulverized. What is it that God wants to pulverize in us? It is not our spirit He wants to break, nor is it our essential personhood. He wants to break our self-will.

In our last church, the word had been used originally in this biblical sense. But “broken” gradually morphed to accumulate other meanings: wounding by the hurts of life or a fallen world, or a level of sinfulness from which no one ever seemed to be saved, or a “putting in your place” by a grim authoritarian God. I developed a guardedness against these understandings of “brokenness.” Where true brokenness leads to repentance and revival, the false variety leads to dysfunction in the body of Christ.

We left that church several years ago, but I took my internal defenses with me. This book is a breath of fresh air, and it took just a day to read. It explains what biblical brokenness is, examines a few biblical examples, and provides a few instances of personal and corporate revivals where it has played a part — including one in 1995 where Nancy Leigh DeMoss spoke on this subject just before a landslide of repentance occurred. It’s an inspiring book well worth reading and has helped me to move beyond the inner resistance that hasn’t exactly helped me in my spiritual walk over the last 5 years. It’s nearly impossible to guard against wrong concepts of brokenness without shutting out the real thing. I’m thankful to have found this road map back.

4 Comments

  • GretchenJoanna

    It’s a very interesting list, drawing as it seems to from a lot of scripture. Pride seems to be almost incurable for most of us – I know the moment I forsake it in one area it pops up to make me notice my accomplishment. So it seems to me that #18 and #23 are incompatible. If I’m not self-conscious I won’t be concerned about being real. That word “real” presents to me all the problems that maybe “broken” presents to you. But all of this just confirms that the key to a contrite heart is to bring it constantly before the Lord in that prayer without ceasing. I find it’s a great tool because I fail at it so much. :-)

  • Barbara H.

    I’m afraid I have way too many characteristics on the wrong list.

    Sounds like a good, helpful book. There was a while when people were using “brokenness” as kind of a buzzword that the cool spiritual kids were all into, but I don’t know that they knew what it meant exactly. It’s something there definitely need to be more Biblical teaching about (forgive the awkward sentence.)

  • Janet

    Yes, it did seem to be a “buzzword” in some circles. The Bible gives us so many good metaphors for the spiritual life that it seems like a mistake to narrow it all down to just one. This book helped clarify some things for me about this one though.

    I’m glad I’m not the only one a little more invested in the wrong list than I should be… I’m so grateful for God’s grace.