a word from Viann Siew

Jeremiah 15:19 - Where is God in Our Brokenness?  Jeremiah 15:19 (NLT)  The LORD replied, "If you return to me, I  will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak words  that are worthy, you will be my spokesman. You are to influence them;  do not let them influence you!    Jeremiah 15:19 (CWR)  The Lord answered, "If you stop your  complaining, I will restore your courage.  If you say things worth saying  instead of feeling sorry for yourself, then you'll continue to be my  messenger and speak for me.  The people need to change and turn to you.   Don't feel so sorry for them that you change and end up being like  them.     Someone once said, "A soul is converted in a moment of time,  but to become a saint takes a lifetime." Conversion happens  instantly; maturity takes many years. To bring us to maturity, God has to  break us over and over again.    So often I see Christians struggling to get to what they  perceive as the top. They gather and accumulate and arrange and amass--all  the while forging their long list of accomplishments, perhaps with  the hope that they will one day be able to hand their resume to God  and say, "See what I've done for You?"    God's work through brokenness calls us not to accumulate, but  to discard. He calls us to get rid of this, toss that, purge  ourselves of this trait and that habit, repent of that desire and that  goal, and finally strip ourselves of all self until we can truly say,  "All that I am and all that I have is God's. He is in me and I am in  Him, and that's all that matters."    What is God stripping away from your life? What comes to mind  when you think of being broken? What have you put between you and  total surrender to God? What do you trust more than you trust God?  What do you love more than you love God?    God will break you, change you, and cause you to grow until  you reach spiritual maturity. No matter how long it takes or how  difficult the process may be, God will continue to break you and bring you  to a place of wholeness and spiritual maturity so that he might use  you as his tool in bringing still others to wholeness and spiritual  maturity.    We can't reach spiritual maturity without suffering and pain,  and we can't engage in ministry without being willing to endure even  more suffering and pain. The joy set before us, however, is the joy  of knowing that God is with us, working in us and through us, and  that God is pleased with us.    Friend, there's no greater joy than that.   Maybe you are facing a time of brokenness and it feels as  though the emotional pain is more than you can bear. Or perhaps you are  dealing with a series of disappointments. Instead of becoming fearful--a  frequent ploy of Satan to pull you away from God--ask the Lord to reveal  what He is up to in your life.    God did not remove the "thorn" from the apostle Paul's life,  yet He did help him to understand why He allowed the trial to  persist. The Holy Spirit revealed an element of pride in Paul's life; the  "thorn" was given to humble him and cause him to rely only on Christ (2  Cor. 12:1-11).    In visiting God's altar of brokenness, you will find a  spiritual depth not present before the trial began. Peter writes:  "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to  try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice  to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when  His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (1  Pet. 4:12, 13).    Charles Spurgeon wrote: "God knows that soldiers are only to  be made in battle; they are not to be grown in peaceful times ....  Warriors are really educated by the smell of powder, in the midst of  whizzing bullets and roaring cannonades .... Is He not developing in you  the qualities of the soldier by throwing you into the heat of  battle, and should you not use every application to come off  conqueror?"    Brokenness is a sign of God's love and activity in your life.  He breaks your self-reliance because He loves you. He knows that,  left on your own, you would yield to pride and selfishness. Any  discipline you experience in times of brokenness is God's way of preparing  you for future service.    * Keep in mind that God uses brokenness to deepen your  understanding in at      least three ways:   * You gain a new perspective of His mercy and provision   * You develop a more complete comprehension of yourself   * Your compassion and understanding for others' suffering grows   The Lord has one thing in mind for brokenness: spiritual  victory. You will soon discover that only Jesus Christ can take your  weakness and turn it into strength, hope, and honor. Will you trust Him  to change your life? [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley re Jer.  15:19]   God is purifying and proving His people. He will refine them as  gold, until the dross is consumed and His image is reflected in them.  All have not that spirit of self-denial and that willingness to  endure hardness and to suffer for the truth's sake, which God requires.  Their wills are not subdued; they have not consecrated themselves  wholly to God, seeking no greater pleasure than to do His will.  Ministers and people lack spirituality and true godliness. Everything is  to be shaken that can be shaken. God's people will be brought into  most trying positions, and all must be settled, rooted, and grounded  in the truth, or their steps will surely slide. If God comforts and  nourishes the soul with His inspiring presence, they can endure, though  the way may be dark and thorny. For the darkness will soon pass  away, and the true light shines forever. {1T355}   God is purifying unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good  works. He is sitting as a refiner and purifier of silver. When the  dross and tin are removed, then His image will be perfectly reflected  in us. Then the prayer of Christ for His disciples will be answered  in us: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." When  the truth has a sanctifying influence upon our hearts and lives, we  can render to God acceptable service and can glorify Him upon the  earth, being partakers of the divine nature and having escaped the  corruption that is in the world through lust.  {2T317}   REFINER OF SILVER