Bruised Reeds Make Beautiful Music: Written by Justin Knight

Bruised Reeds Make Beautiful Music

Written by Justin Knight

Matthew 12:20

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.

If anyone has walked through life for any amount of time at all, you will notice that many have been scared or beaten down or worn out by life’s ocean waves and earth winds.  We are often reminded that we live in a fallen and scarred world. 

Reeds line riverbanks all over the world. 

As I look at the reeds that glisten in the sun I think of the scripture that speaks of our Lord and Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ!  This scripture has often been a source of comfort and hope to my life and heart.  As reeds line the edges of water banks the scripture found in Matthew 12:20 says that a bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.  Another way of describing it says it this way that He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally, He will cause justice to be victorious.  Reeds are fragile and life’s elements often batter them making them un-useful.  Often times those bent broken reeds are discarded by many.  The interesting fact is that reeds had been in history past used for making flute like musical instruments and writing instruments to pen letters.  Reflect on this, that our Lord Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and by his striped we are healed.  The Lord takes our broken battered scarred lives, and he makes the most beautiful music through us in His time.  He considers our lives of great value and precious to Him.  If you have ever felt of no value let this story resonate in your soul.

One foggy night in London, many years ago, a ragged, unkempt man shuffled into a little music shop, owned by a Mr. Betts. Clutched under the man's arm was a violin. "Will you buy this old violin from me?" the man muttered. I'm starving. I need money to buy something to eat." "Well, I already have several violins," Mr. Betts replied. "But I don't want to see you go hungry. Will a guinea ($5.00 at the time) help you out?" "Oh, yes," said the man. "Thank you. Thank you."

He took the money and disappeared into the night. Mr. Betts picked up the violin, took the bow and drew it across the strings. The violin gave forth a deep mellow tone.  Surprised, Mr. Betts took a light and peered into the inside of the violin. He could hardly believe what he saw. There,

carved into the wood were these words: "Antonio Stradivari…1704." Mr. Betts ran out into the street to find the old man, to pay him more for the violin. Did you know that some have estimated that classic violin’s worth at roughly a 11.3-million-dollar value.  No one considered it valuable. Take this as food for thought the Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari was a poor man. And yet his violins are now the most prized violins ever made

because of the rich and resonant sound they produce.  The unique sound of a Stradivarius cannot be duplicated.

 What may surprise you is that these precious instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; they were carved from discarded lumber. Because Stradivari couldn’t

 afford fine materials, he got most of his wood from the dirty harbors where he lived. He would take those waterlogged pieces of wood to his shop, clean them up, and dry them out.

Then, from those trashed pieces of lumber, he would create instruments of rare beauty. It has since been discovered that while the wood floated in those dirty harbors, microbes

infiltrated the wood and ate out the centers of those cells. This left just a fibrous infrastructure of wood that created resonating chambers for the music that created a concert hall of all to hear. From wood that nobody wanted, Stradivari produced violins of utmost value and noble sound.

Have you ever felt alone or of no value?  We may be just like those pieces of wood eaten out and marred and scarred, and the areas of our lives hulled or hollowed out by what the evil one intended to do to us in this sinful fallen world, but God uses our lives as spiritual instruments to resonate His music upon our hearts and lives. The Lord loves us and in Isaiah 43:4 it says you are precious in my eyes and honored and I love you. Let the voice and the music of the Lord resonate in your heart and life and remember that bruised reeds make beautiful music in the healing hands of our Lord Jesus Christ! Let that resonate in your soul. Let your life glisten in the Sonlight!