Violent Acts of Grace

“Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.”
Psalm 51: 8 (NASB)

I was at a conference the past 3 days and the speaker Paul D. Tripp shared among other things, how brokenness in ministry could be God’s way of winning the ministry worker’s heart. Sometimes in the heat of planning and preparing stuff and busily serving others, we are crushed by disappointments, we collapse under the expectations of others and self, we are hurt by insensitivities of others. Eventually we get discouraged and heartbroken in our ministries, wondering how to move on.

This resonated with my experience deeply. This is familiar territory. When Rev. Tripp read Psalm 51:8, it brought to mind the story that Ming Hong told in Youth Sunday School, about how a shepherd lovingly takes care of his sheep, turning to drastic measures when necessary. It is an incredibly beautiful picture.

A boy walking about a herd of sheep grazing in the pastures noticed that one of the lambs was limping. One of its front legs was carefully splinted and bandaged, an obvious sign that it was recovering from some injury. The boy asked the shepherd, “What happened to this lamb? How did it get hurt?”

The shepherd replied with all tenderness, “The truth is, I broke his leg.”

The boy was obviously horrified and he raised his voice, “How could you do something so cruel? The lamb is under your care! You’re supposed to protect it, not harm it!”

The shepherd explained patiently, “This sheep was extremely willful; despite repeated warnings, coaxing and pulling him back from near-death mishaps, he still chose to wander from the herd, sometimes bringing other more clueless sheep along with it. I had to stop him from straying, before harm befell him or other members of the herd. So I broke his leg, for only then would he not wander off and stay close to me.”

"The first day after I broke his leg, I brought him food and water. He tried to bite me. So I left him alone in a shed for a couple of days. When I returned with food and water, he was happy to see me. Now when I come to him, he licks my hand."

"This sheep now shows every sign of submission and obedience. Now let me tell you something. When this sheep is well, as he soon shall be, he will be the model sheep of my flock. He will be the quickest to hear me and the one who stays closest beside me. To the other wayward sheep, he will be an example of obedience. He has been transformed by his suffering."

Sometimes, the most devastating disruptions in ministry are drastic acts of hidden grace that send us crawling back, teary-eyed to our loving Shepherd. In brokenness and pain, we see our shallow preoccupations, our deep-rooted idols, our greatest follies. See how we’ve gone astray, exchanging our utmost satisfaction for inferior glories!

Our Shepherd loves His sheep. He knows His sheep. If having our spirit broken is the only way to drive us back to Him our ultimate and only good, will He withhold that good, wise, painful discipline from us?

Let the bones which He has broken rejoice!