This week’s prayer is something some of us won’t want to pray and may refuse to pray, but this prayer has the potential to open up your heart to God in such a deep way that it will change your life forever. The prayer this week is God break me.
We’re going to look at two stories in Mark.
- The first is about a prostitute who came to see Jesus, he had met her before and transformed her life and she wanted to worship him in the most sacrificial way she could.
- Mark 14:3-5
- Mark 14:9
- Through this act the woman was saying to Jesus I’m giving you my whole life, everything I have is yours. The perfume, which was used to attract men and that represented her past, she was giving him. And it also represented her future and her savings, but she broke her most prized possession and poured it out in worship.
- The second story is when Jesus has gathered his friends together before he dies on the cross.
- Mark 14:22-24
- Luke 22:19
- When Jesus says ‘do this in remembrance of me’, some scholars say there’s more here than just taking communion. As Jesus was broken and his life poured out for us, so we are also called to be like Jesus and for our lives to be broken and poured out for others.
- Philippians 2:17
We impress people with our strengths but we connect through our weakness and our brokenness. When we share our struggles and our difficulties we build connections. Dr Henry Cloud wrote that God designed tears to come out of your eyes, because you’re designed for someone to look you in the eye when you’re hurting so you can feel their love. When we cry with a friend and when we cry with God it brings us closer to them.
Praying God break me is challenging, but God’s greatest breakings lead to God’s greatest blessings. For some of us, from our deepest hurts and pains will come our most effective contribution to other people’ lives and to changing society, this is seen all throughout the bible. One example is Peter, he was broken after denying Jesus 3 times, but Jesus forgave him and at Pentecost it was Peter who preached and saw 3,000 people saved. Those who God uses the most are often those who’ve been broken the deepest.
Praying this prayer is not advanced Christianity, it’s not just for the select few, it’s at the very heart of the gospel, because the gospel is an invitation to die to self and let Jesus live through you.