Monday 04 January 2021

Psalm 135

Background

I love to have fruit trees in my garden, especially the dwarf varieties as they don’t make a total takeover bid but are content to grow to about two metres (six feet) in height and yet still offer full-size fruit or fruits (some have two varieties grafted together!). When I was in Wales I had a dwarf pear tree which gave me full-size Conference pears. Unfortunately, one fruit-bearing branch broke away from the main stem and threatened to tear away completely. In order to save the developing fruit, I took some duct tape and wrapped the branch back into place on the main trunk of the young tree and left it. It would have been easy to rip off the breaking branch and lose the fruit, but I felt it was worth the rescue attempt.

When I left Wales a couple of years later the old duct tape was falling off. Underneath the healed branch had successfully become part of the whole tree and was giving beautiful fruit! As it says in today's passage, God does not give up on even the weakest and seemingly most unfruitful people or lives – he will not snuff out a smouldering wick (one that gives more smoke than light – Isaiah 42:3). How wonderful to think that God is always prepared to try the rescue attempt and not simply extinguish or destroy us because of our failings and faults.

To Ponder:

• What does it feel like to know that God would rather rescue you than snuff out your mistakes and failings?
• How can you take this idea of encouraging even the weakest and most frail or fragile, and apply it to your own life?