Since joining Forgiven Ministry in March of this year, I’ve come to realize that this is a ministry saturated with meaning. One unforgettable moment in a Michigan camp, Paula Jauch, part of our FM family and one of our frequent guest speakers, addressed the men. She opened by saying, “I saw that one of you—I don’t know who, but you do—wrote on your Prayer Card, ‘I pray that the prison will set me free so I can be home with my family.'” She paused and then added, “Listen to me. The prison can release you, but only Jesus can set you free.” Wow, isn’t that the truth!
It reminded me of the story where Jesus heals a paralyzed man (Luke 5:17-26). He was teaching in a room packed with people, and a group of guys, desperate to help their friend, climbed onto the roof, cut a hole, and lowered him down (bed and all) into the gathering. Not your typical church service!
Imagine the scene—sounds from above, debris falling, perhaps light breaking into the room, the crowd’s attention shifting and then this guy is lowered into the midst of the gathering. Wherever Jesus was in His message, the sermon’s over! What a memorable scene. Can’t you just picture Jesus stopping, everyone looking up, there’s this pregnant pause—then whole room bursts into laughter?
Seeing their faith, Jesus looks at this guy and tells him, “Your sins are forgiven.” Huh? What? Not exactly what he—or the crowd—was expecting! Everyone knew why that guy was there—he wanted to walk, to be free of his bed, to live like everyone else. Yet Jesus focus was his sin.
Only after stirring the crowd’s curiosity did Jesus address his physical condition, underscoring an essential truth: one’s Pressing Need isn’t necessarily his or her Primary Need. What we deem as being most important in our lives, may not necessarily be the case.
Returning to the inmate’s Prayer Card—many of our Dads see freedom from incarceration as the most important goal in their lives. While this is doubtlessly critically important, if we heed the message of Jesus, we recognize that at the end of the day, their real need isn’t freedom from the prison, it’s the freedom found in Jesus.
Before I finish, there’s one more part of the story I love. Interestingly, Luke 5:17 notes that it was just “one of those days” when this miracle happened—a regular / ordinary day, yet the crowd marveled, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today” (v. 26).
Every time we step into one of our ODWG Camps, it may feel like “just another day,” but God always shows up! And He never fails to reveal to us the extraordinary.
Thank you for pouring your heart into this ministry—I look forward to the next time we’re working side by side in the prison (as volunteers, of course!).
You are loved.
