Broken Saints An Alabaster Box

When the news came to me from Alicia Lloyd’s mother that the children had been kidnapped, I was instantly a broken soul. I fell apart emotionally. I was ashamed of myself as I tried to tell my staff and then call everybody I could reach to pray. This old clay jar was broken and out of it came prayer like a river of groaning in the Spirit. It was not long before the Holy Spirit said to me, “The work is done.” A good number of other prayer warriors have told me similar stories. When the vessel of a genuine saint of God is broken by the Spirit of intercession and prayer, nothing can come from that vessel but Divine activity that brings God into human affairs. I pray that this great mission story will never be forgotten and that our God can possess an army of broken vessels.

I dare not call us the “alabaster box” because that was Jesus Christ alone. But we are His “clay vessels”, and He desires for us to be a replica of Himself in our own lesser way. The smitten saint cannot be denied of his Biblical request or burden that he pours out of his broken soul. The soul of man is the real seat of the person, and it is many times more powerful to speak of a smitten soul than of broken human emotions. Our human emotions can be broken by many things of little value. The very heart or soul of a man is a deep reservoir out of which can flow the fullness of absolute surrender and passion for a cause that is wholly the needs of others. That’s the kind of passion which smote the Rock of Christ upon the cross and opened a fountain of salvation to the whole world. We can share this deep suffering and fill up the redemption and deliverance of broken lives.

The garden of Gethsemane was the beginning of the “broken alabaster box.” This great time of sorrow has always been a mystery beyond my full understanding. “Sweat was as it were great drops of blood,” “He was heard in that He feared,” and “Let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will but thine.” Those words are too high for me. But the depth of this night was the brokenness that prepared the sacrifice to be offered. It was all part of the Father’s plan to draw from the fountain of His life a perfect cup of sorrow. When it was finished, the Son of God could descend into upper Sheol and deliver four thousand years of faith with His message of eternal grace. A guilty, common thief could be perfectly converted right beside the “Smitten Rock” hanging on a tree. The spikenard from the alabaster box had touched the heart of the Creator and redemption was complete. “Yet it pleased the Lord (His Father) to bruise Him; He (the Father) hath put Him to grief when thou (the Father) shall make His soul an offering for sin…”, “He (the Father) shall see the travail of His Son and shall be satisfied.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)

Now it is our time to be smitten. Only broken saints that joyously share His suffering and sorrows with soul-rending prayer and travail can open the door to revival. When our Great God has a supernatural design, when He moves to reveal Himself and changes lives, and even changes a society for His Kingdom, first He moves upon His saints. He breaks them to travail by His Spirit in them, and then great grace fills His church, His chosen geography, and there is an awakening. It cannot and will not happen until there are broken vessels of great intercession. Neither can it fail when God has chosen His surrendered saints and they willingly give themselves to Him.

These great times of refreshing cannot be manipulated by fleshly campaigns and great displays of religion. Religion begets more religion and enough religion can kill everything spiritual. Many great revivals have been effectively destroyed by the dominating forces of religion. Broken saints that yearn to follow the “Smitten Rock”, and that seek no prominence for flesh, will soon discover that God is searching for them just as surely as they are searching for Him. Remember the prophet that said, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9a) The Gospel writer James said, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” (James 4:8)

We are blessed to be at the door of revival. Wickedness has made itself known in an overarching sweep of our world. That cannot happen without the sharp attention of the Sovereign Creator. He is not absent from His creation but always in perfect preparation for His Divine plans. The greatest thing we can ever do is to be totally His, fully surrender to His great will, and set apart from an evil world that would draw us into its dark plans, and blind us to His next great revelation. Surrender to Him and watch and wait for what He is about to do. Be ready to weep as your soul is moved for a world that is desperate for God.