Forgiving My Father, Forgiving MyselfSample

Beyond the Prison Walls

The warden of Angola Prison in Louisiana invited Ruth Graham & Friends, the ministry God has given to me, to visit prisoners and allowed the press to chronicle our visit. The man I first met sat behind thick lifeless bars. His brown eyes met mine with a gentleness that surprised me, “Can I sing you a song?” I doubt if he knew how nervous I was, but his kindness and openness helped put me at ease. “Yes, thank you, Michael.” I knew only his first name and that he was awaiting his upcoming execution.

His rich baritone voice filled the austere confines of his cell and echoed down the concrete hallway behind me. Tears filled my eyes. The conviction in his voice, the peace on his face, told me all was well in the soul of this man. I could not speak. I was overwhelmed by the powerful grace of God. Michael and I both knew that in spite of the steel and concrete between him and the outside world, in spite of the execution date looming before him, he was at peace with his God. Whatever brought him here had been forgiven. This man’s spirit was free and secure in his redemption.  

Our time together marked the rest of my other visits that day. I met men at every level of faith: some who wanted nothing to do with us and turned their backs, some curious about God, some hungry to hear of God’s love for them, some eager to share their faith stories with me, and some men of great faith, humbled by brokenness yet who appeared healed and whole. When we led worship with the inmates, we were overwhelmed with the power of thanksgiving and rejoicing we witnessed. So many of these prisoners were living in true freedom.

How had they done it? How had they accepted God’s forgiveness for the wrongs they had done? How had they forgiven themselves? How had they forgiven the many who had wronged them along their painful journeys? When we left, I took those questions with me, determined to seek answers from God. My visit with Michael, in particular, stayed on my heart. He impressed me with the powerful image of a man whose soul was well and whose spirit was free.

I never dreamed that Michael’s story and mine had another chapter to come, a chapter that would challenge me to begin to rethink what I thought I believed about forgiveness.

This week ask that God awakens you with the power, beauty, and expanse of His forgiveness. Invite Him to do so.