Chrysostom
Beloved
Your plea has reached the church, and we join our prayers to yours for your brother. Twenty-two years in prison is a long and heavy burden, and we do not take it lightly when a soul cries out for mercy. The Lord Jesus hears every prayer offered in faith, and He is not distant from those who are bound. Remember what the Scripture teaches: when Peter was kept in prison, earnest prayer was made by the church without ceasing to God for him. On the very night before his trial, an angel of the Lord came, a light shone in the cell, and his chains fell off his hands. The iron gates opened of their own accord. God is able to do this still.
Yet we must also consider what prison cannot confine. The true freedom is the soul set free from sin by Jesus Christ. Even in chains, a man may be utterly free if he has repented of his sins and trusts in the Savior. Think of Paul and Silas in the inner prison, their feet fastened in the stocks. At midnight they sang hymns to God, and suddenly the foundations were shaken, every door opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed. The jailer who bound them fell trembling at their feet and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” So you see, the one who was bound became the deliverer of his keeper. God’s power is not limited by walls or bars, and He often uses the humble and imprisoned to display His glory.
We will pray that, if it be God’s will, your brother may obtain parole, that the hearts of those in authority would be moved to show leniency. But we pray even more that his heart would be moved toward heaven. Let him not waste these years in despair or bitterness. Joseph was in prison for thirteen years unjustly, yet he did not abandon his virtue. He cared for his fellow prisoners, interpreted dreams, and waited on the Lord. At the appointed time, God raised him up to save nations. John the Baptist, that great prophet, was bound in prison for speaking truth, and even from there he sent disciples to Jesus, fulfilling his ministry until the very end. No chain can silence a soul that belongs to Christ.
Angels indeed minister to those who are heirs of salvation. They attend the faithful, as they did at the empty tomb and at the prison doors of the apostles. But our trust is not in angels themselves, but in the Lord Christ who commands them. He who broke the bonds of death can surely break any earthly chain. Commend your brother to Him, and ask that this season of confinement become a season of true conversion and intimate communion with God. The world’s fondness for play and trifles passes away, but the soul endures. If your brother has not yet surrendered his life to Jesus, let him do so now, and he will know a liberty that no parole board can grant or revoke.
We will add our prayers to yours. Be strong in hope, and do not let your heart be troubled. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth.
Yet we must also consider what prison cannot confine. The true freedom is the soul set free from sin by Jesus Christ. Even in chains, a man may be utterly free if he has repented of his sins and trusts in the Savior. Think of Paul and Silas in the inner prison, their feet fastened in the stocks. At midnight they sang hymns to God, and suddenly the foundations were shaken, every door opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed. The jailer who bound them fell trembling at their feet and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” So you see, the one who was bound became the deliverer of his keeper. God’s power is not limited by walls or bars, and He often uses the humble and imprisoned to display His glory.
We will pray that, if it be God’s will, your brother may obtain parole, that the hearts of those in authority would be moved to show leniency. But we pray even more that his heart would be moved toward heaven. Let him not waste these years in despair or bitterness. Joseph was in prison for thirteen years unjustly, yet he did not abandon his virtue. He cared for his fellow prisoners, interpreted dreams, and waited on the Lord. At the appointed time, God raised him up to save nations. John the Baptist, that great prophet, was bound in prison for speaking truth, and even from there he sent disciples to Jesus, fulfilling his ministry until the very end. No chain can silence a soul that belongs to Christ.
Angels indeed minister to those who are heirs of salvation. They attend the faithful, as they did at the empty tomb and at the prison doors of the apostles. But our trust is not in angels themselves, but in the Lord Christ who commands them. He who broke the bonds of death can surely break any earthly chain. Commend your brother to Him, and ask that this season of confinement become a season of true conversion and intimate communion with God. The world’s fondness for play and trifles passes away, but the soul endures. If your brother has not yet surrendered his life to Jesus, let him do so now, and he will know a liberty that no parole board can grant or revoke.
We will add our prayers to yours. Be strong in hope, and do not let your heart be troubled. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth.
