Joseph did time in an Egyptian prison for a crime he did not commit (Genesis 39:20). Samson was imprisoned by the Philistines (Judges 16:21). King Jehoiachin was held prisoner in a Babylonian prison (2 Kings 24:12). The prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned by King Zedekiah. Herod the Tetrarch put John the Baptist in prison (Matthew 14:3). The Apostle Peter was put in prison by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:4). Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi (Acts 16:24).
These are just some of the accounts in the Bible of God’s people in prison. With all of these accounts of people in prison, one might be thinking, “Does God care about people in prison?” Indeed, he does care. The Psalms and the prophets repeatedly tell us that he cares for the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, and those in prison. Here is a sample of verses from the Psalms:
For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
Psalm 69:33
…to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die…
Psalm 102:20
…who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free…
Psalm 146:7
Do you see God’s care, his heart for the people mentioned in the verses above?
Shortly before Jesus is arrested, he foretells the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. He warns his followers, “But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake” (Luke 21:12).
As followers of Jesus today, are we not also to expect persecution? Granted, we live in a country with religious freedom, so we might not expect to be “delivered up to prison.” However, there are many Christians in many countries today for whom this is a very real possibility.
Our church holds a Mercy Conference every year. The theme of the conference this year is “Longing to be in Church.” This theme encompasses our church’s prison ministry and our nursing home ministry. Both of these populations contain people who, for one reason or another, are not able to be present with us in church. There is a third population which we are also including, one that might be “closer to home.” This population is shut-ins, or people with physical, mental, or emotional needs which keep them from attending church. We already have a number of shut-ins in our congregation, and, looking at the demographics of our church, we are expecting this number to steadily grow over the next decade.
We invite you to attend this year’s Mercy Conference, which will be held at Tenth on Friday, March 28 at 6:00 pm. Our guest speaker is Rev. Lowell Ivey, who is currently the director of the PCA’s prison ministry, Metanoia. He also pastors a church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. You will enjoy hearing his testimony of how he came to Christ while in prison. Rev. Ivey will also be preaching at both morning services on Sunday, March 30. As God’s heart is for the prisoner, the person in a nursing home, and the person who is unable to leave their home, we hope that the Mercy Conference will make our hearts more like his heart. May we have greater awareness of the needs of the people around us, and may we be the hands and feet of Christ to these people.