What
did I learn from this visit to a women’s prison?
Well,
for one I saw firsthand a section of humanity that is definitely seeking to
know the Lord more. About 60 beautiful ladies sat in a room where the
temperature was about 95 degrees, without air conditioning and windows that
didn’t open as the afternoon sun beat in all day. They did not have to be
there, they wanted to. As they fanned themselves and wiped sweat from
their faces it really made me wonder, if people on the outside knew ahead of
time that these would be the conditions in their church, would they be so
willing to sit for an hour and a half listening about Jesus’s love for them?
I
am reminded once again that in a way the ladies behind bars are special and I
can learn so much from their situation. In my own life I know nothing
better to chase after than the love of God. With all the world’s
distractions taken away from them they seek the One thing that can give them
everything.
Matthew
6:31-33 “So do not worry, saying, ‘What
shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the
pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.”
What
shall we eat? They have little choice.
What
shall we drink? They have little choice.
What
shall we wear? They have only two choices. They wore dark green
pants and, because of a rare exception—a special event and the extreme heat,
they were allowed to wear a gray T-shirt instead of the dark green top that
matched the pants.
As
I looked out while I spoke, I was touched by the fact that the playing field
was leveled by everyone wearing the same clothes. No makeup and no jewelry.
But
they wore a beautiful countenance as they soaked in the words the Lord gave me
for them. I have a couple copies of my book, Set Free From Darkness,
in their library and I pray they know the love that God has for them. I
told them He set them apart so they would get quiet with Him and not to waste
one moment. As they are released to NEVER forget Him when the world gets
busy. Don’t
let the world push Him out of the way; instead, keep Him first. It
resonated with some as they shared with me later or as they nodded their heads
in agreement.
I’ve
known for a long time that I had a story to tell but the Lord has upped the
ante, so to speak. He has also given me His love for them. I can’t
explain it but I see them through His eyes. And their pasts, well, I can hear a
lot of things and I am undaunted by it. They are His little girls and
somehow they may have missed that point all their lives, but He loves and
adores them. And I have been chosen to spread the message.
I
feel very privileged to have them as an audience, what an honor it is. I told
them we may never see each other again in this life but in Heaven, oh in Heaven
we will be able to reminisce about how we met and they can tell me the rest of
their stories.
Matthew
6:33 “But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well.”
There
were many women who touched my heart but I will share one particular story. Prior
to me speaking, they had a “choir” sing. It was sweet and
beautiful. I sat in the front row listening to their music. When it
was time, I stood up to speak, which left a vacant chair in the front row. So
naturally when I was looking the around the room my eyes would fall upon the
lady in the second row directly behind the empty chair.
I
know it is next to impossible to “read” the faces of the audience but there was
something about her - I really couldn’t tell if she was getting the message or
disliking it. I’ve learned to just move forward, keep speaking (as God is
my audience) and let Him worry about the details.
After
the message, women were asking for personal prayer, etc. This lady waited
patiently for all the others to speak to me and then I found out the reason for
the “look.” She told me we were having a divine encounter/meeting.
A
week ago the library books were brought to the ladies and she picked one that
was “pretty.” She read it from cover to cover the following day. Her
sister sent her a church bulletin the same week. One of the names on the
credits of the book she read was also in the church bulletin her sister sent
her. She came to hear the “speaker” on this hot evening and it had not
been announced who it was. She had unknowingly picked up the book that
was “pretty” and it was Set Free From Darkness, my book. She told
me when she read it, it spoke to her and she couldn’t put it down.
Yes,
I do believe it was divine intervention. I asked her if she knew how much
God loved her to pick her out of the whole crowd. And He did it so she
would know how special she was to Him. She was a bit in disbelief and
awe. He made Himself real and personal to her and she will never forget
it or Him, and neither will I.
So,
my lesson from this encounter is that they may be dressed the same but they are
each individuals that He knows; they are His little girls and I believe He has
removed all the unnecessary distractions from their lives so they can see Him
past the smoke screen the world has to offer. I love that God is no
respecter of persons. In God’s eyes every lady there is equal to
the most powerful ruler, richest celebrity or talented athlete. I love
his economy.
If
I may steal this from the Apostle Paul, here is my prayer for all of them and
all of you:
Ephesians
3:14-19 “For this reason I kneel before the
Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray
that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his
Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have
power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and
high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
No comments:
Post a Comment