Site icon Fully Known, Fully Loved

How to Have Faith in Brokenness

Blake Glosson
body of water near mountain range

Photo by JESHOOTS.com on Pexels.com

“God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to be mistaken. When we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” —Charles Spurgeon

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching on how to have faith in times of brokenness, from Nehemiah 2. (Thank you to all who prayed for this sermon!)

You can watch or listen to the sermon, or click the link below. I’ve also included the full sermon manuscript below. 🙂

May the Lord bless you through His Word!

~Blake

P.S. The sermon starts at the 16:11-minute mark.

Introduction

When I was a kid, every year around this time (early spring), my dad would go into our backyard and perform the strangest ritual.

He would walk out to our large plot of dirt—which we used as a garden to grow fruits and veggies—and he would take this strange contraption with him (which I later found out is called a rototiller), and start demolishing the ground—breaking it up, busting it up, moving it around—and he’d be out there for hours doing this.

And I remember as a kid, I’d look out the window, and see my dad moving a bunch of dirt around—no clue why—and I’d think to myself, “Adults are so weird.”

I’d think, “He’s an adult! He can do whatever he wants. He could be playing video games right now. Why waste time moving a bunch of dirt around?” 

It made no sense to me.

And that’s not all. Whenever my dad finished rototilling, the ground always looked worse than when he started! The dirt looked so much nicer when it was left untouched. Undisturbed. Unbroken. Now, it just looked like a giant mess.

Of course, now that I’ve gotten older and wiser, I’ve come to realize that adults really are weird—and now I’m just one of them!

But another thing I’ve learned is that my dad’s breaking up the dirt wasn’t pointless after all, but rather a means of priming the soil. And that’s because my dad knew that the best fruit always begins with broken soil. He knew that even if it didn’t seem like it at first, that brokenness was necessary for the joys and fruit that would later come.

Now, I wonder: How many times do we look into our hearts and lives, and it feels like our Heavenly Father is rotatilling—busting and breaking everything up for (what seems like) no good reason?

How many times do we experience pain and difficulties in life, and wonder, “Why would God allow this? What is he doing? My heart looked so much nicer when it was left untouched. Undisturbed. Unbroken.”

Nehemiah’s faith

Certainly, the Israelites must’ve been asking these questions every time they walked past the rubble of Jerusalem’s walls, which, by the time of our passage today, had been pathetically lying there for 150 years, as a constant reminder of their exile and shame and homelessness. As we saw last week in Nehemiah 1, the walls of Jerusalem were broken; the people’s hearts were broken; and Nehemiah’s own heart was broken.

When any Israelite looked around, all they would see was brokenness.

And yet, despite all of this brokenness, Nehemiah didn’t lose hope. He had faith that God could bring redemption from the rubble. He had faith that God could bring fruit from the torn-up soil.

And Scripture teaches that we can have this same faith, even in the brokenness in our own lives. But the question is, where can we get it? Where can we get this kind of faith? 

Our passage today (Nehemiah 2) shows us three things we must know to have faith in times of brokenness:

  1. Where faith grows (vv. 1-3)
  2. How faith grows (vv. 4-18)
  3. What faith knows (vv. 19-20)

So, let’s consider these one at a time, beginning with where faith grows.

Where faith grows (vv. 1-3)

We see this in verses 1-3, if you would follow as I read.

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

Let’s pause there. These verses show us where faith grows. In particular, they show us that faith often grows in the broken soil of waiting, weeping, and weakness.

WAITING

Verse 1 says this conversation happened in the month of Nisan, which is about four months after Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter 1, when he begged God to provide for his people. 

Consider this for a moment. Chapter 1 says that Nehemiah spent days and nights praying, weeping, and fasting. And this all culminated with Nehemiah’s tear-soaked prayer at the end of chapter, where he pours his heart out to God, begging God to answer.

And then, apparently, for four months, nothing happens.

Have you ever had an experience like this in your life? Have you ever poured your heart out to God in prayer, shed tears, and even fasted, begging God to provide? Then, you woke up the next morning, and nothing had changed. Then, you woke up the following morning, and nothing had changed. Then you woke up a week later, a month later, four months later—and nothing had changed.

Perhaps for some of you, you have woken up years or decades later—after tear-soaked prayers, begging God to provide—and it still seems like nothing has changed.

What is our hope in these situations?

We have the benefit, as readers, to see the end of Nehemiah’s story—and we’re about to see that what initially seemed like an unanswered prayer was about to get answered in a big way. While we don’t have the benefit of reading the future in our own lives, this passage reminds us that delay is not denial—and that with us in our suffering is the God who loves us and has promised to work all things together for our good in the end. 

Through this passage, God is reminding us to be patient when prayers seem to be going unanswered. I love James 5:7-8:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Our ultimate hope is not in our ability to know the future, but in the character and promises of our Savior. As Oswald Chambers put it, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and [trusts] the One who is leading.”

Where does faith grow? It often grows in the broken soil of waiting. Secondly, faith often grows in the broken soil of weeping.

WEEPING

Notice again verses 1-2:

I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

Apparently, after four months of weeping, Nehemiah had not run out of tears. He was still weeping. He was still sad. This reminds us that grief is never linear. Grief is usually not something that we do for a few days, and then it goes away. Wouldn’t that be nice?

(This, by the way, is a good reminder to check in on friends and loved ones weeks, months, or years after suffering hits. By following up with hurting loved ones, we incarnate the God who remembers their suffering.)

While it may have seemed to Nehemiah that his tears were falling to the ground and evaporating, this text shows us that God did not forget his tears. And so, too, when you commit your tears to God, you can rest knowing that none of them will be forgotten or wasted. We are reminded of this reality all throughout Scripture, especially the psalms:

Over and over in Scripture, God promises that one day, he will bear fruit through all of our tears. And in the meantime, he has promised to walk with us and to renew our faith as we look to him daily for help. 

So, faith grows in the broken soil of waiting and weeping. Third and finally, faith often grows in the broken soil of weakness. 

WEAKNESS

Notice verses 2-3, again:

The king asked, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid.

Derek Thomas and many other commentators note that being sad in the presence of the king could’ve been dangerous or even deadly, which is part of why Nehemiah probably felt so afraid. By the way, aren’t you so thankful that Christ is not a King like this? Jesus does not get angry with us for being sad. Instead, he invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace with all of our emotions, that we may find mercy and help in any time of need.

But I think one of the most encouraging parts of this text is what it does not say. Notice that it does not say, “And then Nehemiah suddenly felt a surge of strength before responding to the king.” Nor does it say, “Suddenly, Nehemiah felt very confident and brave.” Instead, it says, “Nehemiah was very much afraid.” Consider this: Immediately before Nehemiah acted in faith, he did not feel strong; he felt weak.

Why is this encouraging? Well, because it reminds us that true faith is not the absence of fear. True faith is trusting and obeying God in the midst of fear. 

Meaning, even if you feel fear in your life today, you can still act in faith. Fear and faith are not mutually exclusive. Trembling faith is still faith.

In fact, faith almost always grows—and is almost always exercised—not when we’re feeling strong, but when we’re feeling weak. You may remember Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take [my thorn in the flesh] away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Friend, if you feel weak today, remember: The best fruit always begins with broken soil. God promises to bring redemption through the rubble of our waiting, weeping, and weakness.

As we close this point, consider:

This leads us to our second point:

How faith grows (vv. 4-18)

We’ve seen that waiting, weeping, and weakness are usually the soil in which faith grows. But they do not automatically produce faith. It’s possible for us to experience waiting, weeping, and weakness, but not actually grow in our faith. In fact, some people, when facing hardship and brokenness, run away from faith. 

I still remember years ago, a mentor of mine, saying something to me like, “Blake, our goal in times of difficulty is not merely to ‘get through it,’ but to trust God and allow him to bear fruit in us and through us.”

So, how exactly is faith grown? How can we allow our brokenness to produce fruit, rather than just being something we try to ‘get through’? How can we ensure that our brokenness is not wasted?

Our passage gives us some direction. Follow with me as I read verses 4-18 now. This is a large chunk of Scripture, so feel free to get comfortable.

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and re-entered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me, and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

Let’s pause there.

How is faith grown? Before we give an answer to this question, it’s important for us to remember that it is God who ultimately grows our faith. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”

Ultimately, all faith comes from God. And yet, God loves to use means to produce and grow that faith, and we see three of those means here in Nehemiah 2. Specifically, this chapter shows us that faith is often grown through the watering of prayer, community, and (what I’ll call) gospel-fueled action.

As we work through these, I encourage you to ask yourself: Which of these areas might the Holy Spirit be calling me to pursue with more intentionality in this season of my life?

PRAYER

One of the most beautiful little phrases in this entire chapter comes at the end of verse 4. Do you see the phrase?

The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king. . .

I love at least two things about this little phrase.

First, this must’ve been a half-second prayer, as it happened in between the king’s question and Nehemiah’s response. You have to wonder what he actually prayed in that time span. What can you pray in half a second?

Most likely, Nehemiah’s prayer went something like this: The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, saying, “HELP!” Then I answered the king.

This passage reminds us that it is not the eloquence or word count of our prayers that causes God to hear and bless us. It is simply going to God that matters.

Don’t feel like you need to spend hours with God in order to win his ear. God wants to help you and have communion with you all throughout the day, like a friend who is constantly at your side. Even half-second prayers can produce eternal fruit. What better investment could you possibly make in a half second than to come to the throne of grace for help in times of need?

The second thing I love about this verse is that it reminds us that Nehemiah didn’t give up on prayer, even after four months of what seemed like silence from God. It makes me think of Jesus’s teaching in Luke 18:1, when he taught his disciples to “Always pray, and never give up.”

I wonder: Have you stopped praying for something in your life, because you haven’t seen an answer? 

The book of Nehemiah reminds us to persevere in prayer. Like a marathon runner who refuses to quit on mile 10 or 18 or 25 until they receive the prize, so, too, we are called to endure in prayer until we receive the prize. And we can rest knowing that God will ultimately bless every prayer we pray, whether in this life or the next. 

So, first, faith often grows through the watering of prayer. Second, faith often grows through the watering of community.

COMMUNITY

Notice that Nehemiah did not try to ‘lone-ranger’ this mission. He knew that he needed God’s people, and he recruited God’s people to help. The same principle is true in our lives. God created us as a body; we need one another for our faith to be strengthened.

And we don’t just need each other on Christmas and Easter. We don’t just need each other once a month. In fact, we don’t just need each other once a week (on Sundays). We are called to pursue daily community. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily . . . that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

One of the primary ways faith grows is through consistent fellowship with one another. Faith needs community as much as plants need water.

Faith is grown through prayer, through community, and finally, through gospel-fueled action.

GOSPEL-FUELED ACTION

One of the most important phrases in this chapter appears twice, including in verses 17-18. Notice what Nehemiah says:

“Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.”

Notice that it was Nehemiah’s confidence (and the people’s confidence) in the gracious hand of God that fueled their action. And God’s grace is what must fuel our action, as well.

God’s grace is not just something we need after we fail. God’s grace is also what we need to succeed in anything. I think regularly of Jesus’s words in John 15:5: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Now, here’s why this is so important: Faith always grows not through mere planning and imagining, but through actually taking action. And the ultimate reality that gives us courage to take action is knowing that God’s gracious hand is on us.

What step is God calling you to take in this season of your life? In your family? In your work? In this church?

We may get rejected in life. We may face opposition in life. We may have setbacks in life. But this passage reminds us that when God’s gracious hand is upon us, we will not ultimately fail—because our hope and salvation are not ultimately dependent on us, but on God’s power, activity, and grace. This brings us to our final point.

What faith knows (vv. 19-20)

Notice the final two verses of the chapter—verses 19-20:

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We, his servants, will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

Here we see the opposition that Nehemiah faced—and we’ll get much more into that topic in the next few weeks. But the point I want us to see here is that Nehemiah did not put his hope in the strength of his army, nor the strength of his faith, but in the strength of his God—“the God of heaven will give us success,” he says. Nehemiah knew that the most powerful king in the story was not the King of Persia, nor any of these other governors, but the King of heaven.

This is key for us to remember in our own brokenness, as well. What does faith know? Faith knows that it’s not ultimately the strength of our faith, but the object of our faith, that saves us.

When we’re looking for security in times of brokenness, our ultimate hope is not in our own strength and faithfulness, but in the strength and faithfulness of our God. Our job is not to produce the fruit, but to be faithful and trust God to bring the fruit.

Will you faithfully pray? Will you faithfully pursue community? Will you faithfully take action, knowing God’s gracious hand is on you?

A firm foundation

I’ll close with an illustration by Tim Keller that I heard about ten years ago:

Two mountain climbers trip and fall onto a ledge. There are only two ways off the ledge: a little rocky outcrop over to the right, and another to the left that they can step on.

The first climber says, “I am fully confident that this right-hand side will hold us up. I have no doubts. I am filled with assurance; this is the way! I am going to step that way.” 

The other climber says, hesitantly, “I think this left-hand side is the correct way. I don’t know for sure; I’m scared to death; and I have some doubts. But I’m going to step that way.” 

So, the first climber steps to the right-hand side, and it’s an unstable rock, and he falls. The second climber steps the other way, and it’s just fine, and he’s saved. 

Who was saved? Was it the man who believed with all his heart? No! It was the man who believed in the right rock.

This is our comfort: It’s not the strength of our faith but the object of our faith that saves us. Our ultimate hope is not the stability of our faith, but the stability of our Savior.

Are you resting on the rock of Christ today?

Nehemiah left the comforts of the throne room of Persia, risking his life to step into his people’s brokenness and save them from their shame. But Jesus left the comforts of the throne room of heaven, knowing full well it would cost him his life—and much more—to deliver us from our sin and shame.

If you are trusting in Christ today, you can rest knowing that his gracious hand is on you, and you are standing on a firm foundation.

If you have not yet put faith in Christ, know that he is holding out his gracious hand to you today. Will you take it? Will you trust him? If so, please pray this prayer with me as we close.

Closing prayer

Gracious God, you are the God of Heaven, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Forgive me for putting my hope and faith in unstable rocks—things in this world that can never truly save me. Lord, I want to stand on the firm foundation of Christ. I want to have faith in my brokenness. Jesus, come into my heart. Be my Lord and Savior today, and for the rest of my days. And help me to shine your light in the darkness around me.. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Blake Glosson (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is a pastoral resident at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois. He has been published and/or republished or referred by:

Previously, Blake served as the director of young adults at New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.

Read or watch “True Guilt vs. False Guilt” here.

Read or watch “Hope in Times of Suffering” here.

Read or watch “What Jesus Does with Your Tears” here.

Read “Why Does God Say No to Good Things?” here.

Watch or listen to Blake’s sermons here.

Feel free to drop a comment below with thoughts or questions!

Exit mobile version