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I can forget this when I watch people struggle in their faith. I can feel that God has missed something when temptations overwhelm someone and they return to using drugs. I wonder where God is when an ex-prisoner who showed tremendous potential and had high hopes drifts slowly away from the people who want to encourage him/her and from God into a life of spiritual mediocrity or rebellion. Someone has said that prison ministry is a "ministry of disappointment" and that is very true in a number of ways as we deal with the frustration of institutional lethargy and bureaucracy and the effects of incarceration on individuals leaving the "system." Then I remember that my frustrations and disappointments are not mine alone, they are shared by the God who demonstrates grace and mercy to me and watches as I, ungrateful as I am, grumble about the ways things have gone or even worse, ignore his gifts.
When we have a small god, the problems we face become ours to deal with. When our god is small, the temptations seem so much bigger, our ability to live the way we truly want to, impossible. It is easy to become pessimistic and angry if our god is too small, for we see the injustice around us and we don't feel it will ever change. We can easily stop fighting to be different and to make our world different when we aren't sure if God is even watching. My encouragement as I meditate on what I read in Isaiah is that he is watching and cares deeply. Wrong will be righted. Injustice will be corrected. Trust will be rewarded. God asks for us to wait, and to believe, and to obey...He is magnificent and he is loving.
He says:
"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times would is still to come. I say my purpose will stand and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:10
"Those who hope in me will not be disappointed" Isaiah 49:23
"instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily,, and my arm will bring justice to the nations."
Isaiah 51:4-5
