Devotional: Broken And Bruised

DEVOTIONAL - A BRUISED REED

by Molly

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;”

Isaiah‬ 42‬:3‬ NIV

Message:

A friend of mine gave me a beautiful insight into this verse much read during Lent. She lives on the Somerset Levels, surrounded by rhynes, man made water drainage ditches. As she was admiring some of the reeds which adorn this landscape, gently passing them across the palm of her hand, she noticed that the tightly enfolded seed heads opened at different times. They all flower eventually, and bloom into delicate grass heads, soft to the touch and fun to run through small fingers. However, the ones with damaged or broken stems flowered first.

I thought this was such a beautiful picture for those of us who feel broken and bruised by life’s storms and challenges. Our culture sees strength and togetherness as qualities to be admired. And if I’m honest, I also esteem those who appear to have it all together and can fall into the unhelpful trap of comparing myself with them. However, God sees us differently. It is in our brokenness that beauty and compassion can break out. It is in the areas where we have been damaged that we can bear fruit. It is often only when we’ve walked the path of heartache and overwhelm that we can be truly soft towards others. Our God is awesome! It is in our weakness that His strength is displayed. 

And there is more…if we have, or are, experiencing injustice towards ourselves or our loved ones, we can know for sure that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 97:2) and thus can proclaim with confidence that He will bring forth justice into these situations. 

Prayer point

If you are feeling bruised and worn down today, or you know a loved one is, try praying this verse a couple of times a day and allowing God’s truth to soak into your heart and mind.