«A BRUISED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK»
«A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench» (Isaiah 42:3).
IN 1903, Ellen G. White mentioned she had read about a man who, after having fallen into the water, was desperately trying to climb back into a small boat. Since the boat was full of people, when the man tried to get on it, they cut off his right hand. He held onto the boat with his left hand, and they cut it off as well. Feeling distressed, he clung to the boat with his teeth, and only then did they have mercy and help him into the boat after having cut off both his hands. Mrs. White proceeded to add, «Do not cut a man to pieces before you do anything to help him. God wants us to have hearts of pity.»
Have we ever «cut a man to pieces» before doing anything to help him? Are we outraged when one of our brethren has fallen off the boat and committed shameful actions? On more than one occasion, I have found myself with a stone in hand, ready to cast it against those who have dishonored God’s cause. However, the prophet Isaiah assures us that God acts contrary to our human reaction, in a way radically different than our own. The Lord assures all of us who have faltered, whose hands have been cut off—and those who have done the cutting—that «a bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench» (Isaiah 42:3). The «bruised reed» was considered useless; however, the Lord did not reject it in spite of its uselessness.
Our Savior doesn’t abandon us because of our incompetence; He doesn’t evade us when we’re left with nothing to help us cling to Him. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary tells us that Christ «is a friend to the humble, contrite sinner—to every man who finds himself in need. Men who appear to themselves and to others almost beyond hope will find in Him the comfort, strength, and courage they so much need.»
Do any of us feel our strength has run out and only a tiny, dim, weak, dying light is left? It could be that some «saint» has «cut our hands off,» but God will keep on working tirelessly so that each of us will be on board the boat that will take us to heaven.
He will not break a bruised reed or «put out a flickering candle» (NLT).
www.meditacionesdiarias.com
https://twitter.com/meditacionesdi1
http://www.instagram.com/meditacionesdiarias7
Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate