There is a recurring pattern in church history, whenever God wants to work for His people, He starts with a man. The Bible is filled with innumerable instances of God picking a particular individual to fulfill His divine plans. These individuals often undergo a process of brokenness and humility before becoming effective instruments in God’s hands. Mere academic knowledge or earthly abilities are insufficient to qualify someone for God’s service. The lives of Moses, Jacob, Paul, and Peter provide great lessons on the significance of brokenness and humility before God. It is a testament to God’s sovereignty and His ability to work through imperfect human beings to accomplish His divine purposes.
The Lesson from Moses:
Moses, one of the most significant figures in the Bible, was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. Despite his noble birth as the son of a Hebrew slave, Moses was raised in the opulence of Pharaoh’s palace. He received the best education and training that Egypt, the world’s leading superpower at the time, could offer. Moses was mighty in both word and deed, a strong and eloquent leader, and a man of great wealth and influence. However, all of Moses’ earthly fame, academic expertise, and worldly abilities were insufficient to qualify him for the task God had prepared for him.
Moses, regardless of his impressive background, was unfit to serve God until he underwent a humbling process in the wilderness. It took another 40 years of shepherding and living with his father-in-law, Jethro to break him of his human strength. This was a radical shift from his royal lifestyle in Egypt. God used this wilderness experience to break Moses of his human strength, pride, and self-reliance. The once eloquent and confident man was now tending sheep, far away from the grandeur of Pharaoh’s court. In the quiet solitude of the wilderness, God taught Moses invaluable lessons that no university education could provide. The self-assured leader was transformed into a man of deep humility and reliance on the Almighty. During those 40 years, Moses developed a deep intimacy with God and learned to listen and to obey His voice.
In this broken state, he became so sensitive to God’s leading and was ready to fulfill God’s purpose for his life. In Exodus 4:10-17, we witness the climax of Moses’ humbling and breaking process. Moses recognized that he could not rely on his own strength but needed to lean on God’s power and wisdom. God assured Moses that He would be with him, guiding and empowering him every step of the way. This journey of brokenness and humility allowed Moses to become a powerful and effective instrument in God’s hands. God’s training often involves breaking our self-sufficiency and pride. God will use our brokenness that we become vessels fit for His service. As we humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our weaknesses and submit to His mighty hand, He equips and uses us for His divine purposes (James 4:10, Luke 14:11).
The Lesson from Jacob:
Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, had a turbulent and transformative journey with God. Jacob’s transformation also came through 20 years of living with his father-in-law. God used this humbling experience to shape Jacob and prepare him for His purpose (Genesis 29 to 31). Jacob’s transformation came through years of humbling experiences and brokenness. It was in his brokenness and surrender to God that he found true submission and fulfillment of God’s plan for his life.
The message is clear – when we think we are ready or capable, God may deem us unfit until we learn to submit under His mighty hand. Brokenness is the key to becoming vessels through which God’s plan can be fulfilled. When we are willing to humble ourselves and submit to God’s training, He can use us as vessels to fulfill His divine plan. Our self-sufficiency and pride must be broken, and our hearts must be molded by God’s grace and love.
Lesson from Paul
The life of Paul the Apostle is a remarkable demonstration to the transformative power of brokenness in qualifying an individual for the Lord’s mission. Before his encounter with Christ, Paul zealously persecuted Christians, blinded by his misguided beliefs (Acts 8:3, 9:1-2). Nevertheless, on the road to Damascus, a blinding light and the voice of the risen Christ broke him emotionally and spiritually (Acts 9:3-9). In his humbled state, he surrendered to the Lord’s will, leading to a conversion that restored his sight and kindled a spiritual awakening. In that moment of brokenness, he recognized the magnitude of his sins and the misguided nature of his actions. The man once filled with pride and self-assurance was now humbled before the divine presence.
Following a period of preparation in solitude, Paul emerged as the Apostle to the Gentiles, uniquely qualified to connect with diverse audiences through his humility and personal transformation. Paul went from being a persecutor of Christians to becoming a passionate advocate for Christ’s teachings. After his conversion, Paul spent several years in Arabia, away from the public eye (Galatians 1:15-18). During this time, he sought solitude and deepened his understanding of the Gospel. His brokenness became a period of preparation, where he gained spiritual insights and received revelations that would later shape his teachings and writings. He realized his nothingness, and he said in 1 Corinthians 15:9: “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God.”
When Paul began his journey with God, he became increasingly aware of the holiness of God and recognized the depth of his own unworthiness. The more we open ourselves to God’s presence and surrender to His will, the more we will see our own imperfections in the light of His perfect holiness. The closer Paul walked with God, the more he realized his need for humility. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul proclaims, “Here is a trustworthy statement that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of which I am among the worst.” The closer Paul walked with God, the more he realized his need for humility. His brokenness became the catalyst for a life dedicated to spreading the Gospel, a testament to God’s ability to use the broken for extraordinary purposes.
Lesson from Peter:
Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, was a prominent figure in the early Christian Church. Although he was initially enthusiastic about Jesus, he also experienced moments of brokenness and imperfection. Peter’s impulsive nature led him to make grand claims, such as declaring that he would never deny Jesus (Matthew 26:33), yet he ended up denying Him three times during Jesus’ arrest (Matthew 26:69-75). However, God used these moments of failure to teach Peter humility and reliance on Him. After Jesus’ resurrection, in a powerful display of forgiveness and restoration, Jesus appeared to Peter and asked him three times, “Do you love me?” paralleling Peter’s three denials (John 21:15-19). Through this encounter, Peter experienced the depth of God’s forgiveness and was recommissioned to serve in God’s kingdom. This brokenness enabled Peter to empathize with others who struggled in their faith and made him an effective minister to people from all walks of life. Regardless of his past mistakes, Peter became a bold and courageous preacher of the Gospel, fearlessly proclaiming the message of Jesus, even in the face of persecution (Acts 4:8-12, Acts 5:27-32). God transformed Peter’s character and allowed him to become a key leader in the early Church, providing guidance and direction to believers (Acts 15:6-11). Peter’s life serves as a powerful testimony to the transforming power of God’s grace, demonstrating that God can use broken and imperfect individuals to accomplish His divine purposes. Through his failures and mistakes, Peter learned humility and the importance of depending on God’s strength rather than his own. He realized his weaknesses and need for God’s grace, which made him more receptive to God’s guidance and empowerment in his life and ministry.
Accepting Brokenness:
Surrendering to God’s breaking process in our lives allows His plan to unfold in His perfect timing. Bible knowledge, talents, and wealth may be useful, but they do not suffice for God’s service. Brokenness is essential for building the true church and humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand paves the way for His quick work in us. Brokenness allows God to remove the barriers of pride, self-centeredness, and self-sufficiency that hinder His work in and through us. Ultimately, embracing brokenness is not about being defeated or broken down in a negative sense. It is about being molded, refined, and transformed into vessels that God can use mightily for His glory. As we yield to His refining process, God’s power is released through us, and we become instruments of His love, grace, and truth in a broken world.
The Power of Brokenness:
Brokenness is not a state of weakness but rather a source of immense spiritual power. When we humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our weaknesses, sins, and limitations. It transforms us. Our surrender and brokenness before God unleash His divine power in and through us to accomplish great things for His kingdom. Brokenness is not about being shattered beyond repair; rather, it is about being molded, transformed, and empowered by God. It is through brokenness that God can work most effectively in us and through us. When we are broken before God, we become vessels through which His grace and power can flow to touch the lives of others.
Finally, the lives of Moses, Jacob, Paul, Peter, and various biblical heroes teaches us that brokenness is a vital aspect of serving God effectively. Academic knowledge and abilities alone are insufficient; we must humbly submit under God’s mighty hand, allowing Him to break us for His purpose. Peter Knew this secret and he said in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time “. Accepting brokenness leads to divine transformation and releases God’s power to accomplish His plan in and through us. As we yield to this essential journey of brokenness, we become vessels fit for God’s service and instruments of His grace and love to the world.
About the Author
Prasanth Jonathan is the founder of The Life Discipleship Centre, which strives to encourage people to live as Jesus lived: to TRANSFORM TO CONFORM TO CHRISTLIKENESS. He is a renowned lyricist, composer, and international speaker on discipleship. Prasanth currently serves as the Senior Pastor at Thompson First Baptist Church, Thompson, Manitoba, Canada.
