September 8

Broken and Smoking

A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. — Isa 42:3 BSB

I can count on tender treatment from my Lord. Honestly, I feel as weak and fragile as a reed. Someone once said, “I don’t care a rush for you,” and even though it was unkind, it wasn’t untrue. Sadly, I am worse off than a reed by the river, for at least it can stand upright. I’m bruised—deeply, painfully bruised. There’s no music in me anymore; all my melody has been drained away. Yet, Jesus will not break me, and if He won’t, then I don’t need to worry about what anyone else tries to do. Oh, sweet and compassionate Lord, I rest beneath Your protection and forget about my bruises!

I’m also like “the smoking flax,” with my light gone out and only smoke left. I fear I’m more of a nuisance than a help. My worries tell me that the devil has snuffed out my flame, leaving me a smoldering mess, and that the Lord will soon extinguish me completely. But I realize now that while there were snuffers in the law, there were no extinguishers, and Jesus won’t put me out. So, I have hope. Lord, rekindle my flame and cause me to shine again for Your glory, and to show how tender You truly are.