When did we see You sick, or in
prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly,
I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren,
you did it to Me.' Matthew
25:39-40 (NKJV)
Not
everyone gets to go to jail or prison without committing a crime. However you
get to go all the time through Re-Entry Prison and Jail Ministry. Your support
allows us to reach those with the gospel that you may never get to see. But
more than that - You get to minister to Christ inside and outside correctional
institutions.
One
time, while I was ministering at the old Central Detention Facility in San
Diego, I was asked to visit a man whose father had just died. When I met the
inmate I could tell he was noticeably saddened.
He
asked if there was any way he could get a temporary release to visit his
younger brother because he was very concerned how his brother would take the
news. I told him that I believed his request would most assuredly be denied.
Occasionally, under certain circumstances, with security paid by the family, a
jail may grant a person to go to a funeral of an immediate family member but it
is very rare.
Out
of curiosity, I asked him where his brother was living thinking I might want to
contact his brother to let him know of his older brother's concern. The inmate
told me his younger brother was currently incarcerated in Donovan State Prison.
Wow! They both were incarcerated in San Diego. That certainly would make it
impossible for them to see each other.
I
told the inmate that even though he could not physically visit his brother, we
could pray that God would visit his brother and bring him comfort. I also asked
him if he would like to pray to give his life to Jesus. He asked if I would
pray with him concerning both things, which of course I was happy to do. After
our prayer, I told him I would check back with him in a week to see how he was
doing. Then I left to take care of another inmate request.
The
next week, I went to see the inmate. I was totally surprised by the happy
countenance about this man. He told me, "Chaplain! You're never going to
believe what happened the day after we prayed!
But,
before I go on, I have to try to paint a picture for you.
In
the old central jail, the cell blocks had a sally port that opened right into
hallway that lead into the courthouse. An inmate would wait inside this sally
port until a deputy would show up to escort the inmate to a courtroom.
Sometimes an inmate could be waiting in the sally port for hours.
On
the courthouse side of the sally port, other inmates from other correctional
institutions would also be waiting to go court.
So here's what the inmate told me.
While
he was waiting in the sally port, he heard a familiar voice outside the sally
port. When he turned to look to see who the person was, he saw his brother who
was also waiting to go to court. He told me that they were able to talk for
about a half an hour before his brother was escorted away. It was a glorious
time for me to praise God with him on how our Father had so awesomely answered
prayer.
Thank
you. Together we are ministering to people whose lives are affected by
incarceration.
Blessings! Chaplain Art Lyons
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