Speak gently

‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him …. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory.  And in his name the gentiles will hope. (Matthew 12:18, 20-21)

The gentle tenderness of the voice of God contrasts sharply with typical Western images of God, which emphasize power not care, judgment not nurture.

Even our arguments against God’s justice or God’s existence focus on questions of power: If God is all-loving and all-powerful, then why this suffering, this war, this starvation, this killing cancer? The bitter cries denouncing God’s many failures extend from one century to the next without resolution.

I offer no explanations or apologies on God’s behalf, but I wonder if an all-powerful fixer of our woes or a retributive juggernaut crushing enemies and righting wrongs is what our hearts most desire … or need.

We are creatures born of love, our scriptures tell us, created in Love’s own image, and it is the presence of love that satisfies the human soul in ways the possession of power never can.

Perhaps this is why this description of Jesus, Beloved of God and of our hearts, run on a loop in my mind: He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory.  

I repeat them because the words I speak to myself about faults and failures that scar my soul, my history and people I love are far less than tender or gentle.

This is typical human behavior for most, if not all of us. The words we use in the silence of our hearts, judgments and condemnations we pronounce on ourselves, are often far harsher than anything we’d ever say to someone else.

Only another voice—a voice of infinite tenderness, animated by the divine Spirit—can save and free us to live as truly human souls.

So, speak gently to our hearts, Beloved Friend. Speak of a love that never fails, a love that transcends all limits and laughs at death. Fan our faith into a loving flame that believes all, hopes all and endures all, until your mercy fills all things.

David L. Miller