Watchword Insights for the Week of September 11

Christine Johnson • September 12, 2022

The Value of a Broken Heart

  The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17


It’s not that God prefers it when we are broken.


It’s not that God prefers it when we are shattered.


It’s not that God prefers it when we are crushed, not only by the circumstances of life, but by the weight of our own guilt when we recognize we have culpability in having reached such a painful place.


It’s not that God prefers it when we are so pulverized that the only thing left to be done is to beg for mercy and hope for grace.


It’s not that God prefers it this way, but sometimes it is this way. And when it is this way, God has an entrance point into our hearts.


The weekly Watchword for September 11 is certainly a somber one, and that seems fitting on a somber anniversary. Psalm 51 in its entirety, though, cries out to God not for what has been done to the author, but shares the despair of the author who has caused pain and suffering in a despicable way. This is a psalm of repentance. So burdened is the author by the sin of his own making that he cannot live with himself. Only when he is so demolished will he be able to accept God’s help in reshaping and rebuilding him.


While the reason for the author’s heartbreak may be quite different from the September 11 heartbreak that still has the capacity to overwhelm us, it remains true that our sorrow provides an opening for God to comfort, reassure, and restore us. It’s not that God prefers it this way, but God can work with it.


Seeking Healing for Us All,

Pastor Chris

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