Hope for the IncarceratedSample

You are not alone.

There is One who suffers with you.

During Jesus’ final hours before the crucifixion, he suffered. A mob called for his death so Jesus was arrested, accused of a crime he didn’t commit, convicted in a sham trial, physically abused to the point of exhaustion, and then executed in the most publicly shameful way.

He knows.

Centuries before Jesus, David was also acquainted with suffering (though not quite to the same degree). Before he was ever king, David was a fugitive. The king at the time, Saul, was so jealous of David’s bravery and popularity that he wanted him dead. The people loved David, and Saul couldn’t have that.

In the midst of this, David wrote Psalm 34, where we read one of his most famous passages: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

God knows.

In both these stories, “the people” had a huge impact on the lives of Jesus and David. In Jesus’ case, the people were against him; in David’s, the people were for him. In both cases, God reached down and cared for his beloved, regardless of public sentiment.

It doesn’t matter what people think. People in charge, people around you, people below you. All that matters is this:

Jesus is with you. Jesus knows. Jesus cares.

Jesus suffers, too. You are not alone.