Brokenness: Study four part 1. Pathway to being an instrument

“What a wonderful God we have-- he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more he will shower us with his comfort and encouragement. We are in deep trouble for bringing you God's comfort and salvation. But in our trouble God has comforted us-- and this, too, to help you: to show you from our personal experience how God will tenderly comfort you when you undergo these same sufferings. He will give you the strength to endure.” 2 Cor 1:3-7 (TLB)

In his book, THE GOD CATCHERS, Tommy Tenney rightly commented that

“everybody runs away from pain by all means but there is no man that God used to bring healing to the brokenness and pain of man and woman in this fallen world who did not go through one pain or the other; starting from the Lord Jesus Christ to all the apostles, great hymn writers etc”.

You cannot meaningfully be useful in an area where God has not touched you. Sometimes, God allows us to go through painful experiences in our zeal to serve Him, not because of our sins nor because He hates us, but because He wants to use us to reach out to the broken people of this broken world. God does not have any other option than to “smite” His trusted servants whom He knows cannot fail Him and comfort them so that they can comfort others with that same comfort. He did it to His Son and still does it today.


“10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Isa 53:10-11 (KJV)

For us to partake in God’s salvation, He had to bruise His Son, Jesus, and put him to grief so that he bears our sins. He took our place and became the scapegoat for our sins. Those who follow the Lord Jesus cannot suffer so as to bear their sin nor the sin of other people. Jesus has done that for us once for all. However, there is what Paul called, the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil.3:10). He equally said that “the sufferings of Christ abound in us” 2Cor.1: 5. It has pleased Him to involve us in this business and fellowship. Oftentimes the path to moulding us into instruments He can use is the path of brokenness.