Observation: This is a psalm of repentance, attributed to King David, in the aftermath of his affair with Bathsheba, a married woman. The poetic language of David's confession, and the passion of his plea stands out for me.
Application: As a young adult, I was in a Bible study with a woman who would probably consider herself a fundamentalist. I remember hearing her say, "All God wants is a broken spirit." I was horrified. This sounded to me like cult language. A "broken spirit" sounds like something you have after being abused and brainwashed, emptied of all critical thought and individuality. No thank you. I'll take the strong, independent spirit God gave me, if it's all the same to you. I can't imagine God wanting to beat that out of me.
But after reading this psalm many times, and knowing its context, I realize that "a broken spirit" is not a spirit emptied of individuality. It's a spirit brought low by its own pride.
We humans learn by trying stuff. It would be great if we learned by listening and trusting those who have been where we are, but we don't. We learn by doing the exact thing those with experience tell us not to do, and getting hurt. But by doing so, we learn better than we could by taking someone's word for it.
The "broken spirit" God wants is not an abused and brainwashed spirit. It's a spirit that has tried doing things its own way, failed, and is ready to trust God in a way it couldn't before.
Read and believe:
God is not an abuser.
God is not an abuser.
God. Is. Not. An. Abuser.
If someone wants to make you other than what you are, and "break your spirit", they are not of God.
But if your Spirit has already been broken by this world, by bad relationships and unreliable people, if you have tried putting your trust in finite things and seen them crumble, come to God, who stands ready to mend your spirit.
Prayer: create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit--a spirit strengthened and healed by your spirit--within me. Amen.
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