I look around me and see brokenness.
Broken relationships. Broken hearts. Broken bodies. Broken souls.
I look in me and see brokenness. I am a fractured soul in a fractured world. And I’m learning that this brokenness is preaching a sermon.
Brokenness reveals our need for a Savior and for Someone to make us whole.
Brokenness reveals we are not sufficient to make it through this life on our own.
Brokenness reveals we are not the masters of our own destiny, because we can’t even get ourselves out of suffering.
Brokenness confronts our source of identity and awakens our hearts to new ways of depending on the Great Sovereign.
Brokenness challenges our worship.
What will we do with our brokenness? What will we do when God justly afflicts us? What will we do when He pierces our hearts?
“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” -Job 13:15
God’s knife is made of mercy.
We can worship in the pain.
He is only good.
Though it might not be popular theology in our comfort-driven world, here’s the truth: God causes pain in the lives of His children.
He doesn’t just allow us to break, He breaks us.
He doesn’t just allow us to be wounded, He wounds us.
He doesn’t just allow us to walk through the fire, He puts us in the flames.
And He does it for love. And, in that, His goodness is not diminished but made to shine even more.
(Should you be tempted to throw flags on the play and call me a heretic, weigh these claims against Scripture.)
Despite how things might feel, our confidence must be staked in the truth of God’s Word that says He sees what we need and He is taking us there. By His mercy, He is leading us into the green pastures of His love and intimate knowledge that He alone will satisfy our souls in the scorched places.
The pain of sanctification is proof of Jesus’ commitment to purify His bride.
“For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him…” -Colossians 1:19-22
Everything in our lives is happening as a direct result of Jesus’ 100% devotion to His mission of presenting us holy and blameless and above reproach to His Father.
Spoiler: His mission will not fail.
Praise the Lord; our True and Better Husband can be trusted (and the following verses confirm it).
Though He slays us, yet we will hope in Him. He does all things well. His own suffering proves it.
By His wounds ours are healed.
“He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; He has broken my bones … ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. … For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not afflict from His heart or grieve the children of men.” -Lamentations 3:4, 24-27, 31-33
“Come, let us return to the Lord;
for He has torn, that He may heal us;
He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.” -Hosea 6:1
“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for Him.
For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as He hears it, He answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself anymore, but your eyes shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” -Isaiah 30:18-21
“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that You have broken rejoice.” -Psalm 51:8
Sophie Miller 
2 comments on “When God Slays Us”