Consider this promise: "A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish" Does this suit your situation? Are you feeling like a reed: weak, insignificant, and helpless? You may be a bruised reed from which no music can come, feeling weaker than weakness itself. Yet, He promises He will not break you. Instead, He will restore and strengthen you.

You might feel like the smoldering wick: no light, no warmth can come from you. But God will not extinguish you. He will breathe with His sweet breath of mercy until He fans you into a flame.

Reflect on another divine assurance: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." These soft words are for your tender heart. God knows you and speaks gently to you. Will you not heed His call and come to Him now?

Dear Heavenly Father, grant us the courage to glean in Your field.
Illuminate our minds to comprehend Your endless promises.
Give us strength when we feel insignificant.
And in times of doubt, remind us of Your unending love and mercy.

Questions for Reflection

1. How would you apply the concept of gleaning in God's field of promises in your daily life?
2. What specific promise in the Bible speaks most deeply to your current situation?
3. How can you remind yourself of God's promises when you feel downcast?
4. How can God's promise of not breaking the bruised reed apply to a specific situation in your life?
5. What steps can you take to ensure you are open to God's sweet breath of mercy?
6. How can you help others realize and embrace God's promises?
7. How does Ruth's request to glean in the fields translate to seeking favor in modern times?
8. In what ways can you actively come to God when you feel labor and are heavy-laden?
9. What do you think it means to 'thresh out' God's promises?

Supporting Scriptures

Genesis 41:56: When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19:9-10: When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Leviticus 23:22: When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”
Deuteronomy 24:19: If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
2 Kings 4:2: “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
Proverbs 31:16: She appraises a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Matthew 15:27: “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Dawn and Dusk: Scriptures, Devotions, and Prayers. Inspired by Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Morning and Evening: Daily Readings. You are free to copy as needed for noncommercial personal and ministry use.