Day Seventeen

Boldly Broken

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.  ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰ (Luke 7:36-40)

There is so much to be gleaned from this passage of scripture that we will spend two days unpacking it.    First of all, this woman was bold.  Known in her town as ‘the sinful woman’, she was most likely used to whispering and snickering on her behalf.  Nevertheless, she walked into a home where she was unwelcomed, among people who judged her and would not associate with her.  She feared not approaching her Lord more than she feared what others would think of her.   She ‘came boldly before the throne of grace…’  She displayed the ‘fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.’

Secondly, she came broken.  She realized who she was in light of who He was; she saw the depth of her sin and wept unabashedly.  She was not ashamed to bear it all before the Lord or anyone else, for that matter.  Brokenness and boldness often go hand in hand, for when we are truly broken, we care not what others think.  We have a humility of spirit that realizes that we are nothing apart from Christ and His saving grace.

Are you lacking boldness in any area of your life?  Are you more concerned about what others will think than doing that which the Father asks you to do?  Are you afraid to stand out for your Savior?

How about brokenness—do you truly see yourself in light of a Holy God?  

Most Holy God,

I come boldly to Your throne, most gracious God, where I will receive Your mercy and grace to help me in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  May I boldly proclaim You with my lips, as well as with my actions to all those around me.  Oh, that I may care more about doing that which You’ve called me to do than what others might think of me. Lord, make me more concerned about sharing Your Gospel message than about it being offensive.  Remind me how highly offensive it is to You that I would shy away from sharing the life-giving message of Your son, Jesus. Lord, if there is anyone in my life that I need to invite to the Deeper Still conference, lay that person on my heart.  Then, give me the boldness to follow through and ask them! 

Give me a spirit of humility and brokenness.  Your Word says that ‘those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy (Psalm 126:5).’  Give me eyes to see my true heart condition so that my joy will come from You residing in me.  As for each and every woman attending Deeper Still, open up their eyes to their sinfulness; show them reconciliation is found at the feet of Jesus. 

In Jesus’ blameless, glorious name I pray,
Amen.