Friday Devotional...A Bruised Reed

A Bruised Reed

I wonder how many sermons I’ve heard from the many many years of being in church. Sometimes although the message (at the time) ministers to you and you really feel it….but by the next week you’ve probably forgotten all that was conveyed. Howerver, I will never forget a message that I heard one Sunday morning probably twenty-five years ago or longer.

We had an evangelist come to preach that morning and he titled his message “God will not throw away a bruised or broken reed.” He took his scripture from either Isaiah 42:3 or Matthew 12:20 which says:

“A bruised reed shall lhe not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”

I remember and still see in my minds eye…this young preacher. He came down from the pulpit and I mean he preached. I can still remember feeling his message down deep within my soul as I remember standing and crying and crying from within my soul of the understanding of the mercies of God. This little preacher pointed his finger at some that were sitting there maybe feeling unworthy of God’s grace….He spoke loud at times and soft at times, the sweat running off his brow.

The message reached down further in your heart than any human could touch… how God said “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice”. The scripture about the bruised reed in which God said he will not throw away a bruised reed was also explained. In days of old ….the musicians would look for a reed down by the water edge to make an instrument from, but they would throw away any reed that was bruised or broken.

The Lord God Almighty does not throw away any human being that will cry out to him. He will take our bruised and battered lives (A bruised and broken reed) and make it into an instrument of Glory for his name sake. Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest!

Last night on the American Idol T.V. show, there was a song that was song…and I relayed it to the broken reed. The name of the song is You’ll never walk alone >>>the words go as this….Just remembering that the Lord is by our side even when we are a broken reed.

When you walk

through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don't be afraid

of the dark

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone

You'll never walk alone

Written by: Glenna Williamson