“To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.” – Jonah 2:6, NIV
The wayward prophet Jonah had to go into the belly of the whale before He really understood the message of redemption God wanted him to preach in Nineveh. It’s probable that when he looked back on his life, Jonah thought of those three days, swallowed up in darkness, as some of the most profitable time he ever spent.
Men and women behind bars tell a similar story. Countless times, we hear them say that without prison, they would be dead or living on the streets. Without prison, they would never have met Jesus Christ. Without prison, they would never have found true freedom.
Robert was one of those prisoners. Winding up in jail saved him from a worse fate on the streets. There, he met Jesus, attended Prison Fellowship seminars, and grew strong in his faith. When he was released, he felt called by God to go back into prison and preach the Good News he first learned “in the belly of the whale.” For years, he faithfully volunteered at Prison Fellowship evangelistic events across the country and headed prison ministry efforts at his church.
As we prepare our hearts for Easter, it’s valuable to remember the depths from which God has saved us. The hardest circumstances in our lives may have helped us gain a real understanding of His redemptive love. And that might be just the Good News someone around us needs to hear