Our God Who Cares

“For Zion’s sake, I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake, I will not be quiet.”  The significance and implication of these words from Isaiah best not go unnoticed. For they do bespeak something of tremendous import about this one, we call our God. Believe it or not, such an interested God is not always the norm. Many misconceptions of the Divine place God at a distance with little interest in our earthly life.

A creator God, sure, but a God who creates and then sits back as things unfold as they will. A God who remains silent, a God who is nowhere to be found. A God removed from what he created. The God who started everything and then retreats to his place in heaven is far from Isaiah’s prophecy, which demands God take an active and lasting interest in the lives of his sons and daughters.

No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’
and your land ‘Espoused’”. Our God cherishes and delights in his people. It is the same God who finds himself at Cana in Galilee with friends and family around him. The same God in the person of Jesus made his way to a wedding, with the host facing the embarrassment of being unable to supply enough wine for the guests he invited.

The host must have certainly been in a panic. But what can be done now? It is interesting to mention that in his Gospel, St. John refers to Jesus’ interaction as “signs.” In retrospect, we would more likely call them miracles, like changing water into wine.   

The miracle that defies the law of nature isn’t a matter of life and death. The wine is gone, but it’s not that big of a deal.  Maybe the party would end a little early. Perhaps the host would be embarrassed and humbled. Most likely, after the original shock, most people would quickly forget about it. The lack of wine at a wedding is hardly on the level of blindness from birth, demonic possession, or paralysis. And yet, Jesus is there in the ordinary annoyances of everyday life.

Scripture says, “For Zion’s sake, I will not be silent even in unimportant matters. For Jerusalem’s sake, I will not be quiet.” Notice the depth of his involvement here, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”  When God involves himself in space and time, extraordinary things happen.

The power of God is always manifested in fullness. Jesus doesn’t just bail out the host at the wedding but goes over and beyond. What Jesus provides is more than could have ever been imagined.  The impulse of the Divine, when he acts, is always magnanimous.

Grace always works this way: the overabundance of God’s life offered each day. How often do we ignore the gift? How frequently do we think God has abandoned us during our troubles? How often, when things are tough, do we believe God is punishing us instead of accompanying us through our passion?  

These tendencies we have only can lead us to the conclusion that God is nowhere to be found. Here is our lesson for this week:  No matter our challenges, God will never abandon us. The problem is not God but ourselves, who too readily fall to despair because we have not incorporated our faith sufficiently, informing us that our God is personal and relational.  And if he is personal and relational, he can never leave our side.

Nothing is more personal and relational than the Incarnation, where Jesus became like us. The great gift of the Father sending his Son should reinforce the belief that God, far from being distant, is with us always in an intimate way during our ordinary and extraordinary times. We must recognize and work with his grace during good and bad times.