Stop Horsing Around And Follow God

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Have you ever asked yourself, “What can I do to make God love me?”

Lots of people do. For some reason, we feel like we have to perform a certain way for God to approve of us. 

But God is not waiting for us to change. He is waiting for us to choose.

In Psalm 51:17, David tells us the sacrifice that is pleasing to God is a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

What is a broken spirit and a contrite heart?

A broken spirit is a spirit yearning for complete surrender, and a contrite heart is a sorrowful heart seeking forgiveness.

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The Sacrifices of God

God is not interested in the gifts of the human race. We have nothing, and God has everything, so it’s not stuff that God desires.

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. Psalm 51:16

David knew better than anyone that God desired people who choose Him as their Lord and Savior and not those who try to buy Him off.

God is looking for those who freely surrender their will to obey His Word. 

David wrote about the sacrifice that God desires in several of the Psalms.

• Psalm 40:6-8, “In sacrifice and offering You have not delighted…Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required…I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.” 
• Psalm 50:23, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
• Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!”
• Psalm 107:21-22, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!”

Sacrifices that are pleasing to God are in our hearts and our spirits.

What Is A Broken Spirit?

According to the Bible, a broken spirit is a complete surrender to the things God has for you and your future while you are walking in a way that brings honor and glory to Him.

It is not despising the choice of surrender but living it freely and fully.

Imagine a horse running wild—going wherever it pleases, not following any rules, not under the subjection of any person. 

However, this wild, unbroken horse doesn’t have anyone to give it food or shelter. No one is brushing it down, rubbing its legs, or caring for its hoofs. 

And no one is sharing love with it either.

I recently read an article about Grant Glolliher, who is a horse whisperer. As he was discussing how he handled an obstinate horse, he said, 

“If the horse won’t come to you, you don’t capture him, you don’t rope him and choke him down,” he explains. “You let him know he’s free, let him know he still has the freedom to choose whether to come to you or not, see. And that’s the relationship with God.”

God has given us the freedom of choice. He wants to have a relationship with you, He wants to spend eternity with you, but He wants it to be your decision.

You are free to run wild and do whatever the law of the land will allow you to do, but God is always there waiting for you to turn to Him with a spirit, broken and ready to be cared for.

Just like a horse that has been broken, we can live a richer and fuller life by putting ourselves under the care, protection, and love of the Creator.

A broken spirit is a spirit yearning to be loved.

The Lord redeems the life of His servant; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. Psalm 34:22

What Is A Contrite Heart?

A contrite heart is a humbled heart. It is a heart that has surrendered its agenda, needs, and goals over to the Father. 

The Lord desires for us to surrender our spirit and our hearts to Him.  

A heart that says not my will, but Your will be done.

Jesus was God, but He completely surrendered His will to the Father when He left the glories of heaven to become our Redeemer. 

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38

A contrite heart is a heart that knows it has sinned but seeks forgiveness instead of excuses.

When David was king, he got himself into a terrible situation. He lusted in his heart, committed adultery with one of his subjects, and had her husband murdered.

So, God sent His great prophet, Nathan, to confront David.

When David heard the accusations brought against him, he did not try to hide his sin or make excuses. 

David was immediately sorrowful and repented of the evil things he had done.

And God forgave him. He did suffer some consequences from his actions, but most importantly, he experienced the restored relationship between him and God.

A Contrite Heart Is Not a Broken Heart

We’ve all experienced a broken heart. 

• a relationship ends
• a loved one dies
• a friend betrays us
• something we’ve believed in isn’t what we thought 

The pain, the sadness, and the feeling like we will never be happy again. 

I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief. Psalm 6:6-7a

A broken heart is a real thing that we all have experienced. After extreme emotional or physical stress, our hearts may beat harder, and our breaths become shortened and labored; we may feel afraid, alone, or confused.

These symptoms are involuntary results caused by our pain and grief, no matter the cause of the broken heart.

On the other hand, a contrite heart–what the Lord is looking for–comes from a decision we have complete control to make.

We may make this decision during a difficult time, but a contrite heart is voluntary, not a symptom.

Instead of being a heart of pain and grief, we experience the joy that comes after remorse.

It brings repentance, a decision we choose, not the circumstance’s involuntary results that overtake us when our heart is broken.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

A Broken Spirit Is Not a Crushed Spirit?

A crushed spirit is something caused by our circumstances or our thoughts, just like a broken heart.

Harsh words, a horrible experience, or a broken relationship can cause the spirit to be crushed.

Having your spirit crushed can bring feelings of hopelessness. 

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Have you ever been in a place where it seemed like everyone was against you? Or you had felt like someone had driven a stake into your heart? Perhaps you were oppressed or lived in a situation where you felt devalued. 

Maybe you felt like you had no one to turn to or no place to go in the circumstance. 

I remember a time when I was struggling with circumstances that were out of control. Things kept happening that I believed at the time I had no way out.

I had been crying for hours, questioning God the whole time. Finally, I ran out of my house, stood on the back porch, and through the cold night sky, I began screaming at my loving Savior.

That was years ago, but my eyes fill with tears even as I write this because the situation was so devastating and overwhelming. 

God did not leave me there. He promises that we will overcome, and I did!

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Unlike a crushed spirit, a broken spirit is something we choose. It’s not something that controls us and makes us run out of the house screaming like a crazed person. 

It’s a deep regret looking for forgiveness. 

Like the broken horse, we choose to allow our Master Saviour to lead us with His bridle–the Holy Spirit–through the treacherous paths this side of heaven.

Placing on the halter, He leads us to do His will. Our feet are shod to go wherever He leads us, and each day we are lovingly cared for and protected by the Creator of the Universe.

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15

God’s love is never a question of “what can I do to make Him love me.”

He loves you just the way you are. 

Remember David? He broke three of the Ten Commandments.

• He coveted his neighbor’s wife
• He committed adultery
• He murdered

But God did not love him less because of the things he did. The Bible even says that David was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) 

But how could God still love him after David committed such horrendous sin? 

God does not love us on our merits; He loves us because He chooses to love us.

David chose to allow his spirit to be broken and his heart to be contrite, which is an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.

However, God’s loving us is not enough–we must also choose Him. He allowed us to have total control over our acceptance of His gift of eternal life.

And it begins with a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

God loves you more than any of His other creations. He gave the life of His Son, Jesus, in exchange for you to have the choice of salvation.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

You Are Free to Choose

A Christian is someone who has chosen to accept God’s gift of eternal life through the act of redemption Jesus paid for on the cross.

As Christians, sacrifice is more than a one-time thing; it’s a daily choice of humbling ourselves to the obedience of Christ, surrendering our will to fulfill the will of the Father, and choosing to listen to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit as He works in us and through us.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2