Can you hear it?
The cry of the broken.
It comes in two variations.
The wail of those who cannot take any more, many who have reached the end of their strength and do not know where to turn.
The hurting hearts.
The lonely.
The ones who didn’t quite earn enough to cover all their needs, so are going hungry for a meal to make sure they have heat at night.
Those who grieve over losing a loved one, loss of job, loss of home, loss of innocence.
The abandoned, cast aside for a younger model.
The discarded, as they no longer serving a purpose.
Those suffering with illnesses and physical pain, almost unbearably so.
The ones longing to be noticed, appreciated, loved.
They live among us.
Our coworkers.
Our neighbors.
Our family members.
Us.
We are the broken.
We are the ones crying out, in desperate need of somebody to notice us.
And God does.
He hears the cry of the broken.
He stretches out loving arms, waiting:
To embrace all who come to Him.
To call them by their true names
To reveal His overflowing love to them.
To bind their wounds, heal their hurts.
To move in with them, so they will never be alone again.
There is another kind of broken God responds to as well.
Its the brokenness of those who realized they have had enough if doing things their way, and are willing to give over their pride, and be broken to follow as God leads.
This can be almost as painful as the brokenness of a lost one, save one major difference.
Being broken in the drawing close to God reminds us of just how holy, amazing and awesome He is.
And He is with us.
All the time.
Darlene Zschech, worship leader in Australia, released a new album inn the past few months: Revealing Jesus. One of the songs she sang, Your Name, reminded me of whom God is- our strong tower, shelter, our saviour.
During the song, she broke into a spontaneous song:
You hear the cry of the broken
You hear the cry of the broken
You hear the cry of the broken
You answer the cry of the broken
You answer the cry of the broken
You answer the cry of the broken
And one thing struck me to theme core about those words, especially the first time I heard them.
God is active, in the now, in that song.
He is hearing, He is answering.
He IS all that we need.
If you are broken, and crying inwardly or outwardly for relief, try turning to God.
Knowing you are so loved, and He is with you always may not immediately change your situation, but it will change your perspective and final destination.
He hears, He answers the cry of the broken.
He can’t help it. He is love.
KARLA LEES 