In 1999 we recorded a song as Sonicflood written by Scott Underwood entitled Take My Life. We called it Holiness. The traditional version included three verses that repeated the words "holiness," "righteousness," and "faithfulness." We decided to add another one—"brokenness." Inspired by a passage in Psalm 51, we felt this would add a new dimension to the song and help make an "older" song new again.

The funny thing is I didn't have a full understanding at the time of what we meant when we sang the word "brokenness." The lyrics went, "Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness, brokenness is what you want from me." You had this idea that we were referring to a kind of sorrow or sadness of spirit over our sin, and it felt sort of strange to plead with God to give you that! Nevertheless, we sang it night after night, and I still use it occasionally.

Psalm 51:16-17 reads, "You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise." So, yes, here David is dealing with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and is understanding that had he brought a burnt offering alone to cover his sin, God would not have been willing to forgive him. Throughout the Old and New Testaments (and specifically in Psalm 50) we learn that God is inevitably not interested in bulls and goats but in people whose hearts that are truly repentant. David understood that.

It is clear here, then, that half of what God desires is true sorrow over our wrongdoings as well as a turning from sin to God. But in verse 17, it says that God wants and broken heart AND a repentant heart—both things. We could assume that these concepts are the same, but a few months ago I heard a sermon on brokenness that helped me grasp the other half of what God is requiring here.

It’s a little tricky, because in this context the word "brokenness" can tend to have two different definitions. ("Brokenness" is a noun that describes the state of being broken). One of Webster’s definitions for "broken" is: a : made weak or infirm b : subdued completely : CRUSHED. My mistake had been in my understanding of what else brokenness could mean. Up until now, I had never thought of it in terms of the way we break a horse to ride him. But that is exactly the type of thing we are talking about here.

In breaking a horse completely, the goal is to get the horse to accept a rider and then to be able to respond obediently to each command, moving as one, without resistance or distraction. The process can be somewhat arduous and involves gaining the complete trust and devotion of the horse so that he embraces and loves working with and for the rider. Once broken, a good horse can be lovingly trained to accomplish many different tasks with skill and ease for his master.

Now, imagine two different horses—one that was broken and one that was not. The king of the land is about to choose a horse to ride that will take him into battle for the defense of his kingdom. His decision is considerable and weighs heavy on his ability to produce triumph for his people. Which horse should he choose? Does he choose the one that is wild, feisty, and a free spirit, or does he choose the one that has been trained his whole life for this moment? Does he choose the one that is sure to give him an exciting ride or the one who is stable and secure? Does he choose the one that jumps at the slightest surprise or the one that is completely focused on his duty? Does he choose the one that has his own agenda or the one that is set on accomplishing the task of his master?

Of course, the king is going to choose the horse that he believes will be strong and unwavering, even in the face of the fiercest possible battle conditions. He needs a horse the will obey each command with accuracy and speed and that will not jump or flinch or run away at the sound of guns, bombs and explosions going off all around him. He needs a horse that will stay focused no matter what difficulty is encountered. He needs a horse that can detect and avoid danger and that can remain dependable in the midst of tragedy. He needs a horse that is committed and resolved to move exactly when and how his master requires for the safety and survival of both horse and rider.

This is the type of Christian our King desires to develop. He wants those who are repentant and humble, but equally, he desires followers who can obey each and every directive with a ready and willing heart. In the New International Version, God says in Isaiah 1:19, "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat from the best of the land." God is not ONLY looking for a people who will obey his commands but who are also willing and deeply desiring of exactly what the King desires. The last thing he needs is a person who constantly rebels against his every instruction, who, every time the bit turns in his mouth, rises up like a bucking bronco, resisting each call from the Commander of Heaven.

God is searching for people like this to use powerfully as he wages war for the Kingdom of God and for the souls of men against dominions, principalities and powers. The humble. The repentant. The willing. And the BROKEN.