Bruised Reeds, Smoldering Wicks, Jesus!

"A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."

~ Isaiah 42:3 & Matthew 12:20
Old Testament prophecy attributed to Jesus

Is there anything more frail than a bruised reed? Look at the bruised reed at the water's edge. A once slender and tall stalk of sturdy river grass, it is now bowed and bent.

Are you a bruised reed? Was it so long ago that you stood so tall, so proud? You were upright and sturdy, nourished by the waters and rooted in the riverbed of confidence.

Then something happened. You were bruised . . .

by harsh words
by a friend's anger
by a spouse's betrayal
by your own failure
by religion's rigidity.

And you were wounded, bent ever so slightly. Your hollow reed, once erect, now stooped, and hidden in the bulrush.




And the smoldering wick on the candle. Is there anything closer to death than a smoldering wick? Once aflame, now flickering and failing. Still warm from yesterday's passion, but no fire. Not yet cold but far from hot. Was it that long ago you blazed with faith? Remember how you illuminated the path?

Then came the wind ... the cold wind, the harsh wind. They said your ideas were foolish. They told you your dreams were too lofty. They scolded you for challenging the time-tested. . . . .







The bruised reed and smoldering wick. Society knows what to do with you. The world has a place for the beaten. The world will break you off; the world will snuff you out.






But the artists of Scripture proclaim that God won't. Painted on canvas after canvas is the tender touch of a Creator who has a special place for the bruised and weary of the world.




A God who is the friend of the wounded heart. A God who is the keeper of your dreams. . . . Let's ponder the moments when Christ met people at their points of pain. We'll see the prophecy proved true.

We'll see bruised reeds straightened and smoldering wicks ignited.



Quoted from He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado; pgs. 6&7