here is my servant...

We just had an awesome time of testimonies this past Sunday. Jay and Sarah told powerful stories about their lives being transformed by the love and grace of God. I came across this passage of scripture today and it reminded me of something true I heard in Jay and Sarah's stories. This is the Gospel of Matthew quoting Isaiah in Matthew 12:18-21,

"Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope."

As Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4, he is referring to Jesus. Jesus was the fulfillment of this prophecy. And the part that I love the most is verse 20, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out..." This is true of Jay and Sarah's story. This is true of my story. And you can be sure it will be true of your story.

We hit places in life where we feel like the "bruised reed." We are bent and broken and feel like if one more gust of wind comes then we will fall to the ground. We feel like a "smoldering wick." We know we are supposed to shine the light of Jesus to the world. We know the children's song, "Hide it under a bushel? No, I'm gonna let it shine..." But our wick is smoldering rather than burning brightly.

This passage of scripture assures us that Jesus will not be the one to snuff us out. He will not be the strong breeze that kills our hope. Instead, he will be our hope. He will be our strength when we are weak. He will be our light when we are dark. "In his name the nations will put their hope." That's us. We are "the nations" to which this passage refers. And we can put our hope in Him.