Spring Branch Academy – Jonesville, Michigan

When King David sinned and sorrowed, he prayed:

“Make me hear joy and gladness,
that the bones You have broken may rejoice” (Psalm 51:8).

Bones–almost nothing deeper, the source of our very blood, and support of our entire body.

When true conviction for sin comes,
it crushes deep, dries up our life-energy, and removes all ability to stand under the weight.
Our bones are broken–not one, but many.

There are many superficial convictions of sin–
an embarrassing moment, a painful consequence, or even a fleeting thought of hell–
but these are often more smarting then damaging,
more like a skinned knee than a shattered joint.

But when God convicts, it is as if bones are broken,…and recovery must come from Him.

If God has not yet broken our bones, it is better to be broken by His word than by His rod.
Jesus said, “No one is good but One, that is, God” (Luke 18:19).
Again, “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).
And His apostle wrote, “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12).
One soft word in the hands of the Holy Spirit is enough to convict us.
“A soft tongue breaks the bone” (Proverbs 25:15, NASB).

If God has broken our bones, we must be careful not to resist the Holy Spirit.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:7-8, NASB).

For all who embrace Spirit-given brokenness, the Gospel comes as good news:
Jesus never sinned–
“[The Father] guards all his bones; not one of them is broken” (Psalm 34:20).
Yet for our sake, He bore the penalty for our sin in our place–
“He was pierced through for our rebellions,
He was crushed for our perversions;
The punishment for our peace was upon Him,
And by His whipping we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, author’s own translation)–
so that “whoever believes on Him shall not be disappointed” (Isaiah 28:16 LXX; cf. Romans 10:11).

Listen!
The devil is too strong for you.–Your sin, too strong.–Let alone, the cords of death.
But through Christ Jesus, you can sing,
“My soul shall be joyful in the LORD;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.
All my bones shall say,
‘LORD, who is like You,
Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?” (Psalm 35:10).

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).