Today, I shook hands with murderers. I shook hands with thieves and robbers. I shook hands with the prisoners in the Nkhata Bay Malawi Prison. But I wasn’t shaking hands with prisoners at all – I was shaking hands with sons of God.
We have had the wonderful opportunity this week to lead a Bible study every afternoon in the local prison. Fifteen to twenty prisoners, who have all given their life to The Lord since being in prison, attend. Though there are no bars and only the chaplain present (prison security here is very different), we felt no fear. These men are different than others I have met in Malawi. These men carry redemption like a banner. You can see the grace and mercy of God in their eyes. They truly have hearts for The Lord.
We spoke this week on how to live a Godly life in a dark world (a tough subject for anyone, especially those living inside the walls of a prison). We spoke of speaking light into your life, forgiving yourself, walking as a child of God, and trusting in His will and plan. The beauty of it all is these men already have it. They’ve grasped it. They could have looked at us, called us rich, self-righteous Mzungus, and ignored us. Instead they called us sisters and encouraged us. They have hope in an unjust and seemingly hopeless situation. They have joy when there is none to be had (teaching me an incredibly valuable lesson about my own current spiritual battle). They crave the word of God, claiming it is sweeter than the cookies we brought for them. They sang us songs of praise that ring beautifully in the throne room of heaven.
“Thank you for coming and helping us grow in knowledge,” one man told us. “We do not get many visitors, even our friends and family call us names and are afraid to come. But you came all the way from around the world. While you have been here this week sharing the love of Jesus, we have forgotten we are in prison.”
This should not be abnormal. And not just in Malawi – in America, too. We should not look at those who visit prisons and say, “How brave of you” or “You are doing such great things.” It should be normal. Why is this the first prison I am visiting to share Jesus? How would our prisons look different if we were sending more groups to love on the men and women inside, to give them hope?
I thank God for these experiences and convictions. I pray I continue to have them throughout the next four months. I pray I will have them and do something about these convictions when I return to the states. Until then, I challenge you to do something about it, too. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Love the orphans and widows.
Visit the prisoners. Hold their hands without fear when you pray for them. Look them in the eye and tell them they are loved by their Father in Heaven. Because they are.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’”
(Matthew 25:34-36 ESV)
