Most Christians who decide to visit prisoners do so out of a sense of duty, the belief that they should take Christ into prisons. When we visit, however, we invariably discover He is already there. We go into the prisons to bring a blessing to those locked inside; but more often, we come away richly blessed ourselves, having received more than we have given.
This collection of devotionals provides that same blessing. As I read the fervent reflections of Christians incarcerated across the United States, I sensed the love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that can only be the fruit produced by our Lord Himself. As always, He reveals Himself through the words and prayers of those He died to save.
Those of us who have spent time in prison know human depravity. We have lived in the midst of sin; we have been trapped in its awful bondage. Consequently, many prisoners have a special sense of gratitude for God's mercies and grace, understanding, as many on the outside may not, what it really means for God's Son to have taken their place on the cross. It is that sense of gratitude which makes these devotionals so poignant.
I have experienced the most meaningful communion with my Lord, not in the lofty cathedrals of the world or in the great churches of our land; not under exquisite stained glass windows or in the shadow or ornate altars, but on my knees by a prison cell praying with men and women like you, locked away in the horrid pits we call prison. I have come to know, as I pray your will also, that indeed, in even the darkest of dungeons, He lives.
Chuck Colson (1931-2012)
Founder, Prison Fellowship
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