Photo by Donald Tong
One year of daily devotions and praises to God can get you through a lifetime. Learning that you have a connection to God gives you hope.
For a lot of people in the carceral system, whether it’s in the US–but especially in the US–or in other parts of the world, hope can be in very short supply and in very high demand. This is because a lot can happen when you’re dropped into the process: wherever you go, it’s like you’ve been thrown into a labyrinth, and the way out’s probably just an elaborate fiction. It’s easy to get into that mindset. You want to get out, you want to change, but how?
The conditions inside a prison cell can demolish one’s hope, yet there is a more powerful force inside it that can transform you into becoming as hopeful as before–sometimes even more hopeful–and that is faith.
Simply put, if you have faith, you are never without hope. Hope is something that everyone needs, especially those who are behind bars and wish to repent and become a better person.
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Hope Inside the Cell
To have faith is to believe that there is someone who’s greater than you and that there is something that’s much greater than anything you could ever conceive of. To have faith is to believe in God.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
When you have faith inside you and nurture it with all your heart, there is no opportunity for doubt to sink its teeth into you. Faith is both fire and water. It is fire because the more you put into it, the larger and brighter it becomes, and it is water because if you let it in, it flows through everything. Both fire and water also sustain as faith does. Without faith, the world can look like it’s always on the verge of collapsing–and for a lot of incarcerated people, this can be a perpetual mood.
That’s why it’s important to have faith in God. When you have faith in Him, you become aware that there are others like you, nurturing a spark of hope. Your faith also informs you of your being, your place in the world, and the fullness of having meaning and purpose. Though faith is like fire and water, it is also like earth because the more you have it compact inside you, the heavier and sturdier it gets. Thus, faith helps get you a solid foundation for positive change.
Photo by ahmet öktem
Hope Inside the Cell: Second Chances
While it is easy to dismiss people inside prisons as beneath your consideration, everyone deserves second chances. Their crimes should not anchor everything about them. Yes, they should be punished, and the consequences of their actions should be made clear and memorable. But if they want to change and have shown willingness to do so, they should be given the chance. It is not within humans to judge others for eternity. Only God can do that. And He will when the right time comes, but that time is not yet here, and thus, humans should judge humans within their means.
Granting hope to incarcerated people does not mean giving them the chance to get out of prison. That’s part of it, but it is by no means the whole of it. To give hope to someone in desperate need is to give them a chance to show you that they’ve changed or are willing to. It is to determine if someone wants to repent. And is this not what God offered humans?
The Transformative Power of Faith
Faith can redeem. It is one of the most powerful forces for a reason. While a prison can crush the human spirit, faith is a powerful barrier against that. As Christ said in Matthew 17:20:
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
If you want to start fostering faith in incarcerated people or just within yourself, One Year of Daily Devotions and Praises can be a helpful guide. Click the link provided to grab a copy now!
