A BRUISED REED....A SMOLDERING WICK

Psalm 39:7-l3

David asked, "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You" (v.
7). That's a good question. What are you waiting for? And how can you be
sure that what you're waiting for is going to come?

David said his hope was in the Lord. Biblical hope means confidence in the
future. It's a confidence born of faith. Faith, hope and love go together
(I Cor. 13). When we have faith in God, we claim His promises, and they
give us hope for the future. Hope for the Christian is not a feeling of "I
hope it's going to happen." It's exciting expectancy because God controls
the future. When Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord, the future is
your friend. You don't have to worry.

Why is this hope so important? When we lose hope, we lose joy in the
present because we have no confidence for the future. I have been in
hospital rooms when the surgeon has walked in and said to a patient's
loved ones, "I'm sorry. We did the best we could. There is no hope." The
faces of the loved ones fall. Sadness fills the room. We live on hope; it
springs eternal in the human breast. But it's more than a feeling down
inside; it's a confidence that God is in control, and we have nothing to
fear.

What is the basis for our hope? It is the character of God. We've been
born again unto a living hope (I Pet. 1:3). It's not a dead hope that rots
and falls apart but a living hope whose roots go deeper and whose fruits
grow more wonderful. You can have joy, confidence, encouragement and
excitement today if you will remember that you have a living hope.

Your hope for the future is founded in the promises of God's Word. Do you
have confidence in the future? Make a mental list of His provision on your
behalf during the past year--answered prayers, met needs and other
blessings. God's faithfulness in keeping His promises in the past gives
you confident hope for the future.

Matthew 12:20-21 – says, A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In His name the nations will put their hope.......A bruised reed, a smoldering wick.

That describes many people reading this blog today. Perhaps you’ve been bruised by the trials of life. Perhaps you were bruised by harsh words or by a friend’s anger or by a spouse’s betrayal or by your own failure or the failures of those around you.

Perhaps, you feel like a smoldering wick. At one time your passion for God and for ministry and for life was flaming high, but the winds of life have blown and now you feel one step away from the flame going out all together.

There are many bruised reeds and smoldering wicks in the Bible.
A woman standing before an angry crowd wanting to punish her for her sins.
A leper, outcast, shunned from society.
A Blind man on the side of the road.
A paralytic lying on a stretcher, A woman with a long term illness………on and on…

Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.

And the world is so good at breaking those reeds in two and snuffing out those smoldering wicks.
But what did Jesus say, He said, A bruised reed I will not break, and a smoldering wick I will not snuff out. In My name you will put your hope.

Plant these hedges around your heart:
Psalm 42:11 , Psalm 71:5, Romans 12:12, Romans 15:13