Prison

As many of you know, Trevor is leading music for a service at our church that attempts to bridge the gap between our recovery ministry with lifelong church-goers. His involvement has touched me so deeply and I can see the Lord working in powerful ways in his life.

I didn't realize how much it was affecting me until I read a letter we received from a prisoner at work today. In the letter, he spoke of how he got messed up with the wrong crowd, went to prison, lost his family, his wife, and thought his life was over. There in prison, someone told him about the Lord and his life was radically changed. He believes that God intervened and after serving only 8 months of his 5 or so year sentence, he was released. God restored his family, his marriage and his life. He began to attend church services with his family, desiring to live out his days in service to the Lord. Until, because he was an ex-con, he couldn't find work. They lost their home and moved into a motel. He still couldn't find work, and they lost their car. He and his wife were forced to send their two young sons to live with a grandmother so they could go to school and have some kind of a normal, stable home-life. His wife was still working, but they were barely scraping by. Pretty soon their marriage fell apart. Still unable to find work, he was forced out onto the streets with no where to go; no way to get there; nothing to call his own. He said in the letter that he dropped 30 pounds in 4 months for lack of food...he had hit the bottom. Pretty soon, he was in trouble again and now back in prison. No one comes to see him. No one writes him letters. He feels utterly hopeless and alone. He is remorseful for what he has done and feels that even the Lord can't forgive him for what he has done. Says that God gave him his chance and he blew it.

Three months ago, I would have struggled to find a ton of compassion for this man. "He's paying for his crimes," I would have said. "He must face the consequences of his actions." But today as I read his letter, my heart was stirred. What would I do if because of wrong choices in my past, my future looked completely hopeless? If I had nothing - not a roof over my head or food to eat or a warm place to sleep...What would I do if I believed that not even God could love or forgive me for what I had done?

To be honest, I just want to run to that prison cell and embrace him and tell him about a Loving God who cherishes his very being, wants to forgive him for what he has done, and invites him to come back to the table.

I think of the women and men that I have had the privilege to meet through our recovery ministry. I only know bits and pieces of their stories, but I know that some have been addicted to drugs for 20, 30, 40 years. Some have walked the streets, sold themselves, done terrible things - and today rejoice at what God alone has done in their lives. I am humbled because these folks know what it is like to be in the very pit of despair and to allow the Lord to come in, take over, and lift them up. I don't have enough adoration in my being for what God deserves...He is truly the awesome, loving, almighty God. May I never forget what He has done for me - my sins, like filthy rags can be left at the foot of the cross where Christ hung so I can walk free, clean and blameless to the throne of the Father. As it is written: "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Glory be to God alone for all that He has done!

John 8:36
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." I pray that this man will encounter someone this very day who will share with Him the message of glorious redemption that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.