Mercy Given in a Time of Need!
Hebrews 4:16
It was Sunday, and we were teaching at the prison. When you enter the dining hall where we conduct our services, there is a guard station overlooking the room. On the walls, large letters boldly declare, “No Warning Shots Fired.”
During our teaching session, a correctional sergeant asked me to step outside for a moment. He explained that an inmate had just received news that his son had been killed during a robbery and asked if we would be willing to speak with him. This was clearly a divine appointment because there were no chaplains available at the facility that day to minister to this man in his time of need.
At first, we assumed the correctional staff would bring the inmate to a secure meeting room where we could speak with him privately. Instead, we were escorted across the prison yard, beyond a 14-foot security fence covered with barbed wire. Guard towers overlooked the yard, and once again we noticed the large signs that read, “No Warning Shots Fired.”
As we walked across the yard and entered the housing unit, we were reminded that civilians are normally not permitted in this area of the prison. Once inside, a correctional officer used the loudspeaker to call for the inmate. As he emerged from his cell and descended the stairs, we saw a large, stocky man covered in tattoos walking toward the table where we were waiting.
His name was Gary.
Gary had been incarcerated for 29 years. He told us that he was an active gang member and that he had become completely estranged from his family. Because of both his past and present lifestyle, he had cut off all communication with them. In fact, we were the first in-person visitors he had received during his entire 29 years of incarceration.
As Gary began speaking with us, he shared the heartbreaking news that his son had been killed that very morning in an armed robbery. The child’s mother had made an emergency call to the prison to inform him. It was obvious that Gary was devastated. He spoke openly of the guilt he carried because he had never developed a relationship with his son. As he talked, he trembled and wept.
For nearly an hour, we sat with Gary inside the housing unit, just a few feet from the cell where he had spent much of his life. Can you imagine living for 29 years in a small prison cell, sharing that confined space with another man day after day? Adding to that burden, Gary had not received a single visit from family members during all those years behind bars.
To make a long story short, we were able to introduce Gary to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. There, in that prison housing unit, Gary surrendered his life to Jesus and accepted Him as his Lord and Savior.
As we walked back across the yard, we reflected on the incredible love that Father God has for Gary. God had opened a door that is normally closed to civilians and granted us access to a place we never imagined we would be allowed to enter. It reminded us once again that God opens doors that no one else can open and makes a way where there seems to be no way.
We thank the Lord that He keeps us prepared to share His love with those He places before us. Before we left, Gary told us that he planned to attend the Protestant service the following Sunday in the dining hall.
Please pray for all the “Garys” of this world, men and women who have been held captive for years by drugs, violence, brokenness, and poor choices. We believe that someone had been praying for Gary long before we met him. Otherwise, how could such a remarkable opportunity have unfolded exactly when it was needed most?
As we reflected on this experience, we gained a deeper understanding of why Satan had tried to use the evaluator mentioned in Part 1 to have me terminated from the college. Had that happened, we would not have been permitted to enter the prison and minister to men like Gary. The enemy continually seeks to hinder the spread of the Gospel and prevent people from hearing about the love, mercy, and forgiveness of God.
We humbly ask that you continue to keep us and this ministry in your prayers. Satan will always attempt to use circumstances and opposition to discourage God’s servants and hinder the advance of the Gospel. Yet God remains faithful, and His mercy reaches people even in the darkest places and in their greatest hour of need.
Mercy Given in a Time of Need!
Claudia & Timothy