I was sitting at a table in prison waiting for Rick to join me and a few inmates for a short Bible study. Matthew, whom I had not previously met, spotted me and rushed over to sit at the table. His face was glowing and he obviously had something very important to share. In his excitement, he could barely sit still. His eyes sparkled with joy as words of testimony gushed from his heart like a soda, shaken and bubbling over.
“God delivered me from homosexuality!” he blurted. “That’s all I’ve known for 34 years and He delivered me! And He just keeps washing me and washing me on the inside.” Tears filled Matthew’s eyes. “I’m free! I’m clean! I’m forgiven! And Jesus just keeps washing me from all of that stuff and the memories and thoughts. I’m forgiven! I’m free!”
Matthew’s excitement was contagious and I rejoiced with him wiping tears of my own.
Matthew’s story is just one of many that I hear regularly from prisoners. These men and women meet Jesus Christ and are set free from bondage of every sort.
I recently looked into the empty eyes of a young man and asked, “Do you have any prayer needs, Larry?”
“I’m a Muslim.”
“I can pray for Muslims too, Larry. Would you like me to pray for you?” He nodded his head in affirmation and his eyes brightened slightly.
“Larry, do I have your permission to pray how God would have me pray for you?” He nodded again, giving me permission.
The prayer God gave me for Larry was filled with grace and mercy. It was a prayer for enlightenment and freedom from bondage. It was a prayer for him to have hope and understanding of how much God loves him and that He has a plan for him. It was a prayer for him to know the truth and the truth would set him free.
When I finished praying, Larry thanked me and I gave him a Freedom Walk newsletter. He walked away reading it.
Jeff is a young man in his late twenties. When we met I asked “Do you want prayer, Jeff?”
“Yeah!”
“How can I pray for you?”
“Pray I can get out of this place.” He replied, scowling.
“Jeff, is there something inside of you that needs to change before God is going to open that door? Something more than you getting out? What is in you, Jeff, that you know is not right with God and He is not pleased with? What would that prayer look like?”
It’s amazing to see these men and women begin to search their hearts after a question like that. The facial expression changes and the eyes express thoughtful reflection. I don’t know what is going on inside of them but Jesus does and I trust Him to lead me as I minister and pray with them.
After some thought, Jeff responded. “I’m mad and I have a hard time accepting things, like from my parents. See, I grew up with everything. I had anything I wanted. Now I have nothing. I lost everything and when they send me stuff I refuse it.”
“Oh! You’ve been humbled!” Jeff’s eyes widened as he looked directly at me, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Hanging his head, he replied, “Yeah!”
“That’s a pride issue, Jeff. God hates pride. Pride is ugly to Him. Satan got kicked out of heaven because of his pride. Pride sets itself above God. It says ‘I am God!’ God doesn’t like that. So what do you think you can do about that, Jeff?”
“Ask God to forgive me.”
“So, will you do that right now, Jeff? Will you pray and I will agree with you. When you are done, I will pray for you. And Jeff, while you are praying, ask God to help you write a letter of apology to your parents asking them to forgive you. They send you things because they love you, Jeff. You hurt them deeply by refusing their gifts. Will you ask God to help you write that letter?”
Jeff nodded affirmation and prayed a precious prayer as he wiped tears. When he finished, I prayed for him and then gave him a Freedom Walk newsletter. I said, “Now, Jeff, don’t you DARE start reading this until you have that letter written to your parents! I raised three boys! I know how you guys are!” Jeff laughed out loud, took the newsletter and promised to write his parents before he read it.
Some people think this is crazy but I don’t believe God does. If Jesus meant what He said, “I was in prison and you visited me…” then these men and women I encounter in prisons ARE Jesus with skin on! Some know Him and others will come to know Him. It isn’t for me to question, speculate or judge where their hearts are. My mission is to let them know Jesus loves them and died for them. Sometimes it means confronting their issues in love and holy boldness as the Spirit leads and pray God will do His work in their lives. For me, there is no greater joy than being His Ambassador in prisons and sharing His love with incarcerated men and women. He died for them, just as He died for the men and women who fill church pews every Sunday.
—Jan
