all we need

There is a story you might have seen yesterday that exploded over the Internet, one that really struck me and gave me pause when it hit my screen in the middle of my workday. It wasn't about Tiger Woods or global warming. It had nothing to do with Christmas. It was a human-interest story both horrifying and inspiring, a painful tale with a sweet ending.

A man named James Bain was charged and thrown in prison for life in 1974 for kidnapping and raping a 9-year-old boy. But here is the excruciating twist: He was innocent. Officials have recently determined through DNA-testing technology (which was unavailable in the '70s) that he couldn't have possibly committed this crime. He has spent the last 35 years of his life behind bars paying for a crime of which someone else is guilty.

The report said the first thing Bain did upon his release was to use a cell phone (for the first time ever) to call his elderly mother and let her know he was free. It said he looks forward to eating fried turkey and drinking Dr. Pepper, and he hopes to also go back to school. But even more touching were the lines the AP reported next:

"As Bain walked out of the Polk County courthouse Thursday, wearing a black T-shirt that said 'not guilty,' he spoke of his deep faith and said he does not harbor any anger.

"'No, I'm not angry,' he said. 'Because I've got God.'

". . . With a broad smile, he said he looks forward to spending time with [his mother] and the rest of his family. 'That's the most important thing in my life right now, besides God,' he said."

I think that may be one of the most powerful things I have heard all year. This man had plenty of time to "harbor anger," sitting in a cell for over three decades, wrongly accused and harshly denied of a life out in the free world. But he also had plenty of time to spend with God. And through the joy and freedom that God offers each one of us in Himself alone, Bain is now able to focus on that above anything else.

What an amazing perspective and reminder for all of us. It definitely brings all-new meaning to the idea that God is all we need. No matter our circumstances, needs and wants, no matter if we have nothing else, God is enough. It is hardly fathomable that that is what this man has taken from this experience. I truly believe the Lord must have been with him every day inside his cell, whispering peace...

In a different story but a not-so unrelated perspective, I read about Hannah again last night in 1 Samuel. Here is a woman who was told she could never have children, and then when God remembered her and blessed her with a son, she had to give him up when he got a little older. Her deepest desire had been to have a child, and yet she was able to give him away with gratitude and rejoicing in the Lord because she trusted Him, and He was all she needed.

I really wish I had this kind of trust and faith. It is hard not to be bitter when we are treated unjustly or our deepest desires go unfulfilled. But, amazingly, God is concerned with us no matter how big or small our cares may be—from an undeserved imprisonment to the longing for whatever lies in secret in our hearts. He is enough when times are good and when times are bad. He will provide when times are good and when times are bad. He is reachable when we have everything we want distracting us, and He is reachable when we have nothing and no one left to cry out to. He has a better plan when we desperately want things in our own timing...

Protect my heart this weekend, Lord—show me that You are always enough.

The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save,
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
—Zephaniah 3:17