Theme: Brokenness

Before there is breakthrough, there is almost always brokenness — and the worship tradition that tries to skip this step produces only shallow soil. Songs about brokenness are among the most important in a congregation's diet, because they create the lowliness before God that makes genuine encounter possible. The Psalms rehearse this again and again: 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.' I've found these songs essential in contexts of repentance, personal crisis, or seasons of intense formation. The best brokenness songs hold the lowliness of the posture alongside the tenderness of the God who receives it — they never leave people on the floor.