FINDING GOD IN BROKEN PLACES

 

 BY: Godfrey Gregg

 When Life Doesn't Go as Planned

Life rarely unfolds according to our carefully crafted plans. Relationships end, health fails, dreams die, prayers seem unanswered, and we find ourselves in places we never imagined—broken, confused, and wondering where God is in the wreckage.

The broken places are where many of us encounter the most profound doubt. If God is good and powerful, why did this happen? Why didn't He intervene? Where was He when everything fell apart? These questions are valid, and God is big enough to handle our honest wrestling.

Yet paradoxically, the broken places are often where we experience God's presence most intimately. In our strength, we're tempted toward self-sufficiency. In our brokenness, we have no choice but to depend completely on Him. The cracks in our lives become the very places where His light shines through most brilliantly.

Consider the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, making the restored piece more beautiful and valuable than the original. The breaks aren't hidden—they're highlighted. God works similarly in our lives. He doesn't waste our pain; He redeems it, transforming our broken pieces into something more beautiful than we could have imagined.

Biblical heroes often met God in their darkest moments: Jacob wrestling through the night, Job sitting in ashes, David hiding in caves, Elijah under the broom tree, Paul imprisoned. Their breaking wasn't the end of their story—it was the beginning of deeper intimacy with God and greater purpose.

Your broken places don't disqualify you from God's love or plans. In fact, they often become your greatest testimony and your deepest source of compassion for others who are hurting. The wound that healed becomes the place from which you minister.

If you're in a broken place today, know that God hasn't abandoned you. He's present in the pain, working beneath the surface, preparing something you cannot yet see. Your brokenness is not your identity—it's the soil where resurrection blooms. Hold on. Healing is coming, and you will be more whole, more compassionate, and more beautiful because of what you've endured.