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Prayer for those unjustly in prison
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3)
O Lord God, giver of justice and mercy. As great is your justice so is your mercy. We pray for those who are unjustly in prison due to their political, religion, racial and other sorts of affiliation. Grant them O Lord Jesus, true justice and deliverance. Vindicate them with full honor. Give hope and courage to them and their families in their times of suffering. Cause their lawyers to have success in pleading for their release. We pray for the physical and mental well-being of those unjustly in prison. Let all thoughts of suicide be banished from their hearts and let them have that much needed peace in times like this. We pray that they see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Cause the prison staff to have mercy on those who are falsely accused and avoid force on them. Let there be no more prison violence of any sort. O Lord set the captives free and inspire men and women of good standing to rise up against all the false accusers and workers of iniquity. We pray for both believers and unbelievers who are unjustly in prison. Let your mercy save even when all hope is lost for them. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen.
Tip: Try to remember those who are falsely accused by their names in your mind when praying. Also remember the name of the prison in remembrance when you pray.
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Pray for those in prison
The Bible encourages us to remember those in prison and those who are mistreated. So it would be a wise thing to pray for them.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3)
By prisons, I mean actual prisons where people are on death row, life imprisonment etc. That shouldn’t stop you from praying for people in mental prisons of sorrow and pain etc. However, I want to speak about people who are in physical prisons at this moment. People are in prisons either justly or unjustly.
Praying for those unjustly in jail
When you read the news when in print or online, they may read something like this:
- New York Man Exonerated After Spending Nearly 30 Years In Prison For A Crime He Didn’t Commit (reference link: click here)
- Wrongfully convicted Missouri man freed after decade in jail for murder (reference link: click here)
- Lahore, false accusation of blasphemy against a Christian. Fears for his life (reference link: click here)
There are people who are falsely accused of crimes they DID NOT commit. Such people do not actually deserve to be in jail and yet there are imprisoned. There are many reasons why people are falsely accused, like political motivation, religious hatred, racism etc.
It’s a hard and trying time for those falsely accused and their families. I’ve seen the spouses and parents of those falsely accused wait outside the police stations with their little children waiting all night and day to plead with a police officer but to no avail. These family members are met with strange stares by those passing by. Inside, the people who are falsely accused have a lot of anguish to deal with. They wonder why are they there. They wonder who will employ them after their time in jail is over. Some even contemplate suicide. In short, they have very little hope.
This is where you do something relevant. If it’s in your power and scope then arrange for legal recourse to help them out of prison. Especially, if the accused is your own relative or friend then its your moral obligation to help them if they were wrongly accused. Most importantly, whether it’s a known person or not, pray for their vindication. Pray that the false accusation is disproved and the victim is set free. You can also take help from your church’s prison ministry (if your church has one) and direct them to the person who in jail due to a false accusation.
Praying for those rightfully in jail
Of course, there are people rightfully in jail too. These are in jail for crimes they actually committed. Big crimes or small crimes, such things are usually awarded jail time.
In such cases, we pray that the person in jail truly repents of his/her crime. We must also pray that they turn themselves to our Lord Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness for their sins.
Now, there may be people who have truly repented in jail but are waiting for a second chance in life. It’s not that easy to get a second chance for them but we must pray for such people’s needs.
Above, all pray that all those in prison do get a chance to get right with God through Jesus Christ, so that at least they do not go the eternal prison which is Hell.
Praying for peace and order in prisons
Thinking that prisons are places where the prisoners are truly living in justice is uninformed thinking. Just because your region has good jail governance it doesn’t mean that places elsewhere too have the same good stuff. Prisons are places where some of the accused and even the prison staff are true monsters and these won’t bat an eyelid to murder or injure or even sexually assault anyone whom they can get their hands on. Here are a few headlines listed below to prove my point (I do not recommend the last link in the list for any child reading it):
- Prison violence crackdown promised by government. (reference link: click here)
- Guards Implicated in Mexico Prison’s Deadly Gang Attack (reference link: click here)
- Statistics reveal Canadian prisons becoming more violent places (reference link: click here)
- S** in men’s prisons: ‘The US system cultivates rape. If you treat people like animals, they behave like it’ (reference link: click here)
Pray therefore, that there are no instances of murders, assaults etc by prisoners nor the prison staff. Due to the stigma associated with being in prison, such things are not commonly reported to the general public or justice system. Things like this are kept under wraps. Pray that all such evil acts are exposed and those obstructing right reporting of such incidents are put to justice themselves.
A few tips that I recommend when praying for those in prison:
- Pray in genuineness. Pray as if you too were in prison with them.
- Pray in line with the Holy Scriptures.
- Be aware of the law of the land.
- Pray for the acquittal and release of falsely accused people.
- Pray for kids who are imprisoned.
- Keep in mind that safety of prisoners is a must.
- Pray that the prison staff work in true justice.
- Pray every time you see a criminal trial mentioned in the news, for true justice to prevail.
- Pray that illegal jails are put to an end.
- Remember both local and world jails in your prayers.
- Pray that prison outreach ministries manage to preach the Gospel to the prisoners, safely and without hindrance from anyone.
Disciples of hope 