Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1
Before covid had struck our country a young man who had come to our church tripped up and ended up in jail. I visited him in prison, and in his appreciation for me bringing him hope through the gospel he told me how the inmates in prison so badly needed to hear what I had to share. To make a long story short I began to volunteer leading Bible studies with the prisoners.
This particular prison is a transition prison whereby some inmates stay for a term, while others are waiting to be moved into other prisons across Ontario.
It occupies both men and women with both maximum and minimum security.
One day, I was asked if I would bring Bible study to the maximum-security division as it had less volunteers. I was happy to do that. Interestingly, this division is occupied by women only. Women from all backgrounds, religions, circumstances, and ages. I also found most of them to be mothers. Since the prison doors have swung back open after the covid lockdown, I have been able to go almost every week.
An interesting real-life allegory to this ministry happened around four months ago when there was a large amount of rain for about a week or so.
On one of those rainy days, my wife Sharin and I realized we had to trim a cedar tree that was rubbing up against the siding of our house. So out into the rain I went in order to shave some branches. When the final branch fell, to my surprise, there was a mourning dove sitting on a nest protecting its young. Even though the dove was no longer protected from the rain she bravely sat beneath the torrential rain trying to protect herself and her young chicks from the tempest.
I felt such pity for them. A few hours later I thought to fasten an umbrella to the tree in order to hopefully protect the dove and her young from the elements. As I cautiously approached the tree, the morning dove remained amazingly still until I was about a foot away. Only then she flew off. I saw the little chicks in the nest, and quickly fastened an umbrella over the branch hoping it would cover them- and that the mother would come back.
The next day it was still pouring rain when I walked out to see what happened. To my relief there was the dove sitting under the umbrella protected from cold wet elements safely taking care of its underlings. A week later the baby doves flew off. Happily, the mourning dove had successfully protected her young!
Then it dawned on me, (pun intended because the rain had stopped and the sun suddenly shone through) that in prison many of the mothers, are grief-stricken and in mourning due to being separated from their children and families.
Even though these women have made choices that resulted in prison time, these mothers love their children and are deeply concerned that their families will be taken of care of while they are separated from them.
To me, the mourning dove was an allegory of how God has given me a way to share the Gospel to these mourning mothers. The Good News that could offer a spiritual and emotional covering. And a message of salvation and hope for all who will embrace it.
Psalm 91 tells of the promise of God’s covering, protection, and provision. When God’s word of grace, truth, and hope is shared it can indeed bind up broken hearts and proclaim freedom to the captives, both metaphorically and circumstantially!
This revelation brought me to tears as I was also reminded that, at his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove.
Over the course of time, the Holy Spirit truly has backed me up on this because since that revelation, there has often been a powerful sense of God’s Spirit present in our Bible studies – noticed not only by me, but by the inmates as well.
So many miracles have happened during these times in prison.. Here is an example: there are eight different cells. Therefore, each week I minister to one of the eight different groups of ladies who want to come to the meeting. Anywhere from one person to seven might show up at a time. On this occasion only one girl showed up. But God had a special plan for her to receive a personal blessing that day.
She was a Christian who had accepted the Lord sometime in the past.
However, somewhere along the way she made a bad choice that landed her in maximum security prison. Despite that, her faith was restored, and she had since become stronger in the Lord. Understandably she was still filled with self-loathing and shame. That day we read 2 Corinthians 5: 21, written by the apostle Paul stating that, “Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ”. In this passage Paul also writes that anyone who is in Christ has become a new creation, and all old things are passed away. She asked me what righteousness meant. I explained to her that those who confesses their sins before God, not only are their sins forgiven, but God also looks upon them as righteous: A righteousness, His own righteousness, that He imputes upon them which places the penitent ones in ‘right standing’ with Him. I told her this passage means she no longer has to carry shame because all the former things ( her sins etc.) are passed away and all things are new. I shared with her that she therefore, can hold her head high, comforted by the fact that she is the daughter of the Most High God, cleansed and purified by the blood of Jesus. Her eyes widened with excitement, and she went from looking sad and forlorn to an expression of joy- and exclaimed, “Really! Is that true?!” I joyfully told her “absolutely; this truth is not my idea, but right from the word of God!”
She left that morning with a great burden relieved, and a sense of healing to her spirit and soul. This precious child of God saw that she was fully accepted as the daughter of God her heavenly father; and that she could walk with dignity and self-respect because Jesus forgave her sins and made her a new creation in Christ!
Miraculously, I have seen people of every religion and sect come to have faith in Jesus Christ because of the authority of the word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit. I tell them I’m not here to promote any religion, but to promote what God in Christ has done for me. And what He did for me, I know He can, and will do it for them as well. God in Christ is reconciling the world back to himself.
Weekly they are also encouraged to support each other through prayer and fellowship. One of them shared that when doing this they felt like they were at a retreat centre rather than in a prison. Some of them have been creating their own Bible studies through the week, and they are learning to disciple each other!
I’ve also heard that some of the inmates have connected with a church after being released. Even the guards lately seem to have become friendlier as well. Each week, there is an opportunity to share their prayer requests with my church, when we pray for them each Saturday. I invited the inmates to pray for me as well, and some of them do. At times, the presence of God seems so powerful in the jail cell where we share, it feels more like being in church than in prison!
In the last few months, a congregation member has joined with me in attending the prison Bible studies. All the glory goes to God!
Truly the Light has come into what seems like a dark place.
Rev. Joe Jobin
Lead Pastor of Through the Roof FMC
Flinton, Ontario
