WHEN YOUR FLAME BURNS LOW

Isaiah 42:1-4

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

 my chosen one in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him

and he will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or cry out,

or raise his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice on earth.

In his law the islands will put their hope."

                Have you ever been at the end of your rope and felt like one more thing would be the end of you? Many of us feel that way from time to time. Our nerves are frayed, our emotions are raw, and our spirit is defeated. When we find ourselves in that place, it feels like we are surrounded by sharks and there is blood in the water. In fact, there are people who are more than ready to kick us when we are down. But Jesus is not one of those people.

                Too many people view God as some kind of ogre who is just waiting for an opportunity to attack them. They live in fear of God’s judgment and so they turn their fear into open rebellion and arrogance. In a movie I watched recently, one of the characters, when asked if God is just, replied that God had much to answer for. My first thought was, to whom is God to be held accountable? Many people feel that they have the right to be the judge of God!

                Isaiah gives us an entirely different picture of God’s attitude toward us. Isaiah is describing God’s anointed one, who we know to be Jesus. He states that God would give Jesus the right and the ability to bring justice to the earth. Yet he describes justice in a surprising way.

                Jesus will bring justice by His authority, not by bullying people. Isaiah says that he will not shout, cry, or raise His voice in the streets. Those words clearly define the way our world seeks justice. We have come to feel that if we just shout loud enough, we will get our way. It is an image of the bully who dominates others with his bravado and bluster. But Jesus will bring justice in a different way. He does not have to use force to get His way. With calm, measured tones He will address the issues of our lives. He will bring justice through compassion.

                Recently in my devotions I saw this passage in a way I had not seen it before. Isaiah makes a seemingly odd statement when he says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Matthew relates this very passage to Jesus in Matthew 12. The context is Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath. In His interaction with the Pharisees, Jesus made it clear that compassion trumped their artificial laws about the Sabbath.

                As I thought about this passage, I was able to place it into the context of real life. There are often times when we are bruised in life. There are times when the challenges of life have bent us to our breaking point. At those times, the world is quick to finish the job. For example, a wounded person in the workplace is often wounded even more when their co-workers distance themselves or use the situation for their own benefit. Isaiah tells us that when we are bruised and bent by the challenges of life, Jesus will not add to our distress. Instead, He will come to us with compassion to bind up our wounds and to help us to heal. Instead of breaking us, he wants to brace us so that we can be restored. As Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

                Isaiah also said that Jesus would not snuff out a smoldering wick. There are times in life when our flame burns pretty low. Our energy has been drained away and only the faintest glow of life remains. People who struggle with depression know exactly what that feels like. Unfortunately, many people, when they get to that point in their life, snuff out their own wick. When our flame is burning low, Jesus comes along side of us to renew our spirit and rekindle our life flame. As we lean more fully on Jesus, we tap into His strength. Jesus stated that He came into the world for this very purpose. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

                Isaiah states that “in faithfulness he will bring forth justice.” We can trust Jesus to do what it right and just. The justice He brings is not like the world’s justice. It is not about retribution and restitution. It is not heavy handed and vindictive. It is compassionate. Jesus will make things right, restoring order to our lives. He will cleanse us from our sin and rebellion and bring us with joy into the very presence of God.

Psalm 103:8-12

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.