Broken Heart Psalm 51:17

16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.


Sometimes we get in a mode where we think the things that we give to God and the things that we do for God ought to be enough for Him. Sometimes we get to the point where we are satisfied with all that we are doing and we think that God must be satisfied as well. God is not as interested in most of the things we do as we might think. God is interested in is the condition of our hearts.

It does not matter what we do if the condition of our hearts is not what it should be. What God is looking for is a "broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart." The New Century Bible translates this passage this way, "17 The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin."

Here is a contrast in attitudes. On the one hand, we find arrogance and pride in the sacrifices that are offered to God. On the other, there is a heart that is broken because of the sin that has been committed on our part and forgiven on God's part. The heart that is broken is a heart that has been touched by God and is able to be molded and shaped in a way that He is able to use it. God created our hearts so that He could mold and shape them so that our lives would reflect the work of His hands. As the rest of the world looks our lives, they will see what God can do in a life that has a contrite and broken heart. He is then able to do something in their lives as well.

Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that he greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. He said the second is like unto it, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. The reason the second is as important as the first, is God works in us so that He can work through us. As we look up to Him, He is able to look down on us making our lives worth living. As He blesses us, we are to look around so that others will be able to see Jesus in us. God is then able to do something in their hearts and in their lives as well.

What is the attitude of your heart today? Perhaps our prayer ought to be as David's was, "10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. " When God cleanses our heart, it becomes a heart that He can use!