God’s in the Restoration Business
November 3, 2015

God’s in the Restoration Business

 

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:3 NKJV)

 

Bruised Reeds

 

“A bruised reed He will not break.” (Isaiah 42:3a NKJV)

 

Reeds were tall pieces of grass that grow by riverbanks and swamps. People would gather them to make walking canes, sandals, and baskets. But the bruised, cracked, and broken reeds they’d throw away. They had no use for them. There were thousands of others, and besides, bruised and cracked reeds weren’t good for anything.

 

Bruised reeds are those who’ve been bruised by life. Bruised by inconsiderate things people have said or done. Bruised reeds are those who are weak and struggle every day. They’re people like you and me.

 

But no matter how bruised you feel, or how weak and discouraged you are, God says,

 

“I love you anyway. There’s no such thing as a throwaway or disposable person. I will heal you and give you strength, and I will love you forever! I will never leave or forsake you. I will never give up on you.”

 

Dr. Benjamin Warfield was a theology professor at Princeton. At the height of his academic career his wife got sick, and became an invalid. He took care of her for ten years. During that time he never spent more than two hours from her side. Dr. Warfield would sit at her bedside day after day and read to her.

 

One day someone asked him, “Have you ever thought about taking your wife to an institution? Then you could write more books and have a bigger ministry.”

 

Dr. Warfield said, “No way. My wife is my ministry. I will never leave her side. I am going to love her and take care of her as long as God grants us life.”

 

That’s how the Lord Jesus feels about us. He will not walk away or abandon us. He will not throw us away like yesterday’s trash. He will always shower upon us His love, grace and mercy.

 

Smoldering Wick

 

If you look at the second half of verse three, we see another beautiful picture of God’s compassion:

 

“And smoking flax He will not quench.” (Isaiah 42:3b NKJV)

 

They didn’t have electric lights back then. Instead they lit their homes with oil lamps.

 

Most lamps had an open top. The bowls were filled with oil and contained a wick. As long as the wick would stay moist with the oil, it’d burn. But when the oil got low, the wick would smolder giving off more smoke than light. The wick would then be extinguished and thrown away.

 

Some of us are like smoldering wicks. We used to be shining lights for the Lord, but now we’re spiritually burned out. The stresses of life have taken their toll, and we don’t pray or read the Bible like we should or used to. That flaming desire we once had for God is down to a flicker.

 

Many of you feel like a bruised reed or smoldering wick.

 

Please know that Jesus is the answer for bruised reeds and the smoldering wicks. He is the answer for those who are bruised, broken, hurting, and cast aside by society.









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