February 20, 2026

In Your Brokenness

There are times in life when you may be fearful, overwhelmed, or broken, and don’t really know what to do or if you can even keep on going. It may be because of sin you have committed or a situation you find yourself in that is causing great uncertainty or anguish. In these times, you can turn to the One who knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7) – the One who lovingly handcrafted you (Psalm 139:13). God KNOWS you and the heaviness of your heart. Psalm 34:18 tells us that God “is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Oftentimes, it may not be you, but someone you know who is going through something very difficult, and your empathy causes your heart to cry out for them.

Not only does He know you intimately, but He sent His Spirit to intercede for you when the words and thoughts of your prayers are not able to articulate your sorrow, your suffering, or even what you need. Romans 8:26 assures you that “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;” You have a helper in the Spirit who can translate your heartache to God.

In these difficult times, consider the example of Jehoshaphat and his prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:1-12. In that passage, Judah is facing an invading army, and they are very afraid. The part of the prayer that I want to highlight is the latter part of verse 12, which reads, “For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” Even though their distress and fear were paralyzing, Judah turned to and trusted in the Lord.

Throughout scripture, you can clearly see that God has a protective love for you and no detail escapes His notice. Trust Him. Trust Him in times of distress. Trust Him even if the outcome is not what you want. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

About John Seibel

John Seibel was born in ND and attended the Bismarck church of Christ after being converted in 1981. After graduating from high school in Bismarck he attended Harding University for 2 years where he met his wife, Christy. From Harding he transferred to the University of TN in Knoxville in 1989 and finished his electrical engineering degree.He and Christy were married in 1990 and started attending the Karns church of Christ in 1991. They have 4 daughters, including a set of twins. All of their daughters either graduated from or are currently attending Freed-Hardeman University. Their oldest daughter, Lindsey, and her husband, Justin Porter, live in Little River, Kansas, where they attend both the Lyons church of Christ and the McPherson church of Christ where Justin preaches and teaches part time and Lindsey is a nurse at a local hospital. Their middle daughter, Mary Beth, and her husband, KJ Moore, live in Katy, TX, and attend the Katy church of Christ where KJ is the associate minister and Mary Beth is in graduate school at Faulkner University. Their twins, Emily and Jeanne, are currently sophomores at Freed-Hardeman University.John has been a working member of the Karns body since 1991. He has actively supported the education program by teaching elementary and middle school classes, and was a helper to Christy in the pre-school program teaching the cradle roll and 2’s classes for many years. He and Christy have also coordinated and run the story room for VBS and Forever His. He has worked in the sound room, supported mission trips to Honduras and St. Croix, chaperoned countless youth retreats and events, coordinated the communion program, and prior to becoming an elder, was the deacon over the women’s programs at Karns.