This is my prayer for today, Lord.
I confess that I am not You.
I am not the judge of anyone or anything.
I am not in charge.
I am not responsible.
The burden of decision does not rest upon me.
I am merely a little lamb,
being led
by the Good Shepherd.
And that is enough for me.
Amen.
Jackson was honored this year as a participant in the Alabama All-State Choir. We are so proud of him!
Bruised reeds.
Smoldering wicks.
Isaiah says that the servant of the Lord will concern Himself with these.
Isaiah 42:1-3
This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him.
I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not cry out or shout or make his voice heard in the streets.
He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice.
Matthew applies this prophecy to Jesus. After healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees conspired to destroy Jesus (Matt. 12:14). But Jesus was aware of this, so He withdrew — and yet, the crowds followed Him. “And he healed them all,” (Matt. 12:15). Though His enemies would plot to have Him killed, Jesus will not break a bruised reed, nor put out the smoldering wicks.
He continues to heal.
Continues to restore.
Though it would cost Him His life, He continues to love in this way.
And that is why I follow Him.
Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.
Our family text thread is filled with pictures like this:
A book I read recently explained that in the early days of Trans-Atlantic sailing, ships crossing the ocean would use two separate compasses. One of them was fixed to the deck where the helmsman could see it and try to keep the ship on course. But the second compass was fastened at the top of one of the masts and a sailor could climb up to check it to make sure they were still on track.
Somebody asked the captain, “Why do you have two compasses?”
The captain replied, “This is an iron vessel, and the compass on the deck is often affected by its surroundings. That’s because proximity to iron can cause the needle of the compass to shift. But that’s not the case with the compass up on the masthead. That one is above the influence of what’s around us. We steer by the higher compass because it’s more reliable.”
As human beings, we know what it’s like to be affected by our surroundings, don’t we? Our morality can be so easily influenced by the views of those around us and the shifting tides of our culture. We need a higher compass.
Is the Lord God your higher compass?
After the Divisional Round, here’s where things stand in our family competition:
Joshua 6-4
Sunny 4-6
Jason 6-4
For the championship round, I’m taking the Rams and Broncos; Sunny is taking the Seahawks and the Patriots; and Joshua is taking the Seahawks and the Patriots.
Well, I took a few chances with my picks last week (Jags and Chargers) and came up empty. Joshua, on the other hand, crushed it:
Joshua: 5-1
Sunny: 4-2
Jason: 3-3
But there’s still plenty of football to come. Here are our picks for the divisional round of the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos
Last week, I pointed out the fact that Josh Allen was the best QB in the postseason field, which always gives the Bills an advantage. But the path to the Super Bowl is going to be awfully tough for him. Just to get there, he’ll need to win three road games this month. He looked the part in Jacksonville this week, but things won’t get any easier at Mile High this afternoon. Denver should be rested and they seem to have a little bit of magic whenever they’ve needed it. I think this one will come down to the wire and I’m taking Denver on a late field goal.
Jason: Broncos
Joshua: Bills
Sunny: Broncos
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
I continue to be so impressed by Kyle Shanahan. Injuries continue to ravage his roster and all he does is win. But this Seattle team is really good. When they played a couple of weeks back, Seattle’s defense completely throttled Shanahan’s offense — which came in on a heater. The wild card here is Sam Darnold’s health. Reports sound optimistic this morning, but even if Darnold doesn’t play, I think the smothering defense will be enough for the ‘Hawks to advance to the NFC Championship Game next week.
Jason: Seahawks
Joshua: Seahawks
Sunny: 49ers
Houston Texans at New England Patriots
I find myself leaning in the direction of the dominant defenses with these picks. I suspect Mike Vrabel will have the Patriots ready to defend their home turf Sunday afternoon, but I just love the way the Texans’ D gets after it. Even though the Texans are 0-6 in the divisional round, if CJ Stroud can play mistake-free ball, I could see Houston pulling the road upset in this one.
Jason: Texans
Joshua: Texans
Sunny: Texans
Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears
Okay, so I know I just said I tend to pick the defenses. But this Rams offense, man. Their path to the Super Bowl is just like Buffalo’s — they’ll have to win three road games — but with Matthew Stafford and all of those weapons, it just seems like they’re never out of a game. Forecast says it should be single digits by kickoff, which will likely impact both offenses. But I can’t wait to watch this one. I’m taking the Rams to win at Soldier Field.
Jason: Rams
Joshua: Bears
Sunny: Bears
already & not yet 