There are so many things, circumstances and situations which a prisoner has no control over...
...that can so easily crush his spirit and cause him to sink into despair.
This morning in my cellblock, for example, another man came up to me and told me about the news he just received from home. A family member informed him that his mother, who's been sick for a while, was given about a year to live. He was very downcast, as would be expected upon hearing such news. He asked me to pray for her. After we prayed for his mom, I tried to encourage him not to lose faith or give up hope.
This prisoner has a "life sentence" and a long time to do before he even gets close to parole. However, I assured him that God specializes in handling the most seemingly hopeless of situations.
Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23). It doesn't get any clearer than this! I told this man to give all his cares to the Lord.
Later this evening, I will write out some Scripture passages for him to reflect on. I have no doubt that God will take care of the matter. Meanwhile, I encouraged him to get stronger in his faith. Being in prison is more difficult at times like this because he is far from home and cannot be by his mother's side.
It's difficult not being able to help one's family. But I told him that he can help his mom by praying for her, and by writing her encouraging letters and by sharing God's word. I also told him that prayer can move mountains, and that prison walls do not hinder the Lord.
D.B.
This morning in my cellblock, for example, another man came up to me and told me about the news he just received from home. A family member informed him that his mother, who's been sick for a while, was given about a year to live. He was very downcast, as would be expected upon hearing such news. He asked me to pray for her. After we prayed for his mom, I tried to encourage him not to lose faith or give up hope.
This prisoner has a "life sentence" and a long time to do before he even gets close to parole. However, I assured him that God specializes in handling the most seemingly hopeless of situations.
Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23). It doesn't get any clearer than this! I told this man to give all his cares to the Lord.
Later this evening, I will write out some Scripture passages for him to reflect on. I have no doubt that God will take care of the matter. Meanwhile, I encouraged him to get stronger in his faith. Being in prison is more difficult at times like this because he is far from home and cannot be by his mother's side.
It's difficult not being able to help one's family. But I told him that he can help his mom by praying for her, and by writing her encouraging letters and by sharing God's word. I also told him that prayer can move mountains, and that prison walls do not hinder the Lord.
D.B.