“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.
No one enjoys the feeling of broken-ness!

But we can’t ignore its benefits to spiritual growth.
Being broken gives us an entirely new perspective on the Lord’s plan for our lives.

Enjoying a steady, uninterrupted stream of blessings has an interesting effect on most people:
It distorts our view of the Father, often leaving us to assume He exists for us.

We ask the Lord for healing, success, and financial security.
We ask Him to bless our family and our relationships.

We ask and ask and ask.

And the truth is, much of the time we aren’t really talking to God at all.

In our mind, we’ve replaced Him with some sort of cosmic errand boy—we tell Him what we want and then send Him off to get it for us.

In all of this, who is actually at the center of our prayers?
It certainly isn’t almighty God, our eternal Saviour and Creator of the universe.

No, instead we find ourselves at the center of these prayers.

Therefore, the end result is the subtle belief that God exists for our benefit—
– a far cry from the reality of His divinity.

This distortion breaks the Lord’s heart and leads us far away from truly knowing Him for who He is.

The antidote for this self-centered idolatry is brokenness!

When God says “No,” when He takes away instead of adding more, when He divinely manages what we have, how much we have, and how long we have it, He is helping us keep our eyes on Him. Do not despise these moments.

Instead, recognize them as the voice of your Father calling you back into His loving arms.

(PR)