One of my friends came to Maywood Baptist Church while in a drug recovery program. God used other men and women with similar backgrounds at the church to help him discover Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
He did everything someone could possibly do in preparation for trial. At his sentencing, the judge said, “I’m not sentencing you for who you are today. I’m sentencing you for what you did earlier in your life.”
My friend and I reunited eight years later, after he served 85% of an eight-year sentence. One of the first things he told me was, “I hated what it took to get me to Jesus, but I wouldn’t trade my new life with Him for the years I spent locked up.”
There is no question that God loves us and wants to bless us. My friend is one of multitudes of examples of God’s grace.
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18)
There are times when God has to bring us down, so we will be willing look up in faith and receive the good He has for us.
God Hears Your Cry
I have attended a class for people in recovery for almost 20 years. Some of the best stories of God’s transforming grace have come from addicts who found freedom and life as a friend of Bill W. and Jesus Christ,
Two sayings that have cropped up in that class have intrigued me over the years.
On many occasions, someone has told the group that even though they were living in full-blown addiction in a drug house, they believe God was with them there. They are in good company with the writer of Psalm 139.
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)
Another statement I have heard over the years was a desperate prayer, “Lord, either heal me or take me.”
Many addicts speak of using drugs against their will. One man put it like this: “I thought I was going to a party, but I ended up in hell.”
The good news for people who become desperate for God is that He is present for them.
O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.
Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any longer, but your eyes shall see your Teacher (Isaiah 30:19-20).
My friends in recovery have experienced the bread of adversity and water of affliction. At the same time, God did not leave them. He heard their cry and revealed Himself to them.
A Wise Teacher
Many of the leaders at Maywood Baptist Church come from backgrounds like those mentioned in my article. When they surrendered to Jesus, the prophecy about God being their teacher became a reality in their lives.
And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
In recent months I have been asked to coach men with how to officiate a funeral. When they were in their addiction and far from Jesus, no one would have considered asking them to speak at a funeral service.
Now, that they have surrendered to the Lord and are going to His discipleship school, family members to turn to them for help in times of need. I have to smile and praise God that He takes the most unlikely people and uses them for His glory and the good of all.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 