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A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

When something is just about broken or on its last leg in our house, my solution is often, let’s scrap it! It’s not worth the money to fix. I don’t have the patience and the time to breathe life back into it. For me, it’s much easier to start from scratch and buy or build a new one. My wife has a more restorative approach. She doesn’t so quickly give up on the worn-out thing. She has a knack for salvaging the broken trinket and turning it back into a prized possession.

I’m sure it would be much easier for the Lord to look at the brokenness of the world and the brokenness of my life and just scrap it and move on. The reality for the world, and every person living in it, is that we were not just broken. We have broken God’s commands. We can’t mend our own brokenness. We can’t muster up enough strength to solve the problem of sin on our own. If you’ve ever tried, you eventually burn out and give up. But God doesn’t give up and move on. Why not?

Because of his great love for us, he doesn’t break. He binds. He doesn’t snuff us out. He breathes in new life. Isaiah points to Jesus in today’s Bible verse. Notice your Savior’s approach to you. Sometimes you might feel like a bruised reed ready to break under the weight of pressure and guilt. Jesus comes not to break but to bind and mend. He took extreme care and effort to save and restore you, giving his very life on the cross. He has forgiven all your sins, all the times you’ve broken a command.

He doesn’t break; he binds. He salvages and saves, and at the same time, he makes new those who believe in him. To souls once spiritually burnt out, he patiently fans into flame the gift of faith and gives new life full of peace, purpose, and hope. He restores what was once lost and makes that soul God’s prized possession.

Lord, Jesus, when I am bruised and ready to break, you bind up my brokenness and breathe in new life with your words of forgiveness and hope. May I always praise you for your salvation! Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.