“He will not break a bruised reed.”

                                    Isaiah 42:3

Ever heard the old saying, “don’t kick a person when he’s down?”

I’m not sure, but I believe you may be able to trace its roots back to Jesus. (Actually, there’s lots of stuff you can trace back to Jesus – mercy, grace, forgiveness – the list is endless and all good!)

Isaiah is prophesying about the coming Messiah, which he often does, and one thing he says is that the coming Messiah “will not break a bruised reed”. Translated into 21^st century language, Jesus isn’t going to “kick a person when he or she is down.”

Lots of people have been down over the last year. Depression – a very serious and real issue - has become a burgeoning problem in the midst of all the “goings-on” of 2020. And I think I know why.

First, we are a communal people. We are meant to be social and interact with others and that was ripped out from under our feet.

Second, we are living in a time of unknown, and that’s hard. If you have a time frame you can usually deal with something, but it’s hard to when you don’t know when something will be over. And because of everything seemingly hitting us at one time, people are beginning to feel the weight and burden of it.

I pray for those with depression, whether it’s a result of all that happened last year, or for some other reason that has caused them to lose hope and joy.  Depression is a powerful and debilitating disease. We all need to remember that in times of depression (just as with any other illness or burden), Jesus will not pile on. He is waiting with compassion and care and hope. He wants to restore your joy. He wants to walk beside you in this and any other dark season you may face.

Call on the name of Jesus, and in it find comfort and peace and hope for every new day.

Comforter God, thank you for the presence of Your Son and the Holy Spirit as we face unsure times and day. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.