Date: Wednesday, March 18th
Scripture: Psalm 142:7
“Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.”
by Chris Kimmenez, Director of Advocacy at Healing Communities USA
For an incarcerated, justice involved, or returning citizen, the scripture can have so many different levels of meaning. Whether it speaks to us about our personal spiritual freedom while our bodies may still be incarcerated or under supervision, or the various ways our mind or soul is still imprisoned after we are released, either way, just like deliverance is more than just our circumstances, God is capable of much more than just our physical deliverance. Incarceration leaves sometimes unspeakable trauma, but God is capable of healing and restoring our broken past, present and future. He is capable of healing us all the way down to our bone marrow and into the places between our atoms and into the darkest places in our spirit and psyche if we let Him.
There is healing, forgiveness, restoration, and deliverance regardless of where we are on our journey with the criminal justice system. It does not matter if we are awaiting trial, sentencing, serving our sentence, pre-release, under supervision, fully returned or even pardoned. God is capable of finding us and meeting us where we are, changing our lives and our situations, and bringing us to a new level of freedom. Regardless of where we are on our faith journey or our involvement with the justice system, God is waiting to do what only He can do, imparting His righteousness, and blessing our socks off. Freedom is waiting for us on so many levels. Nothing and nobody are too hard for our God. All He wants us to do is ask.
Prayer: Dear God, May we recognize Your presence as we each struggle through our own journeys. We thank you for your abundant blessings and for setting our souls free. Amen.
Fact: As of 2005, at least 40 states operate super max or control unit prisons, created exclusively to house inmates in solitary confinement.
Action: Listen to this interview with Public Interest Lawyer Bryan Stevenson, originally aired on NPR’s Fresh Air January 20th, 2020.
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/20/796234496/just-mercy-attorney-asks-u-s-to-reckon-with-its-racist-past-and-present
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