Friday, December 11th, 2015
JEHOVAH JIRAH
Jehovah Jirah means “the Lord will provide.” Don’t ever doubt that the Lord will provide.
I was on my way to Anoka yesterday to appear at a court hearing for Raphael, my prisoner friend who came to the Lord when I was conducting a Gideon prison ministry session at the Wright County Jail in Buffalo, Minnesota. I have spoken of him in previous posts. He was a depraved, scruffy-looking, significantly nasty person when he came into our room and was a totally different person when he left the meeting, for He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord that day. I’ve never seen such a complete transformation in my life. Even his countenance changed that day. His face actually shone as he opened his eyes to a new world inside and out.
God forgave him, but the legal system didn’t. He’s now serving an eight-year sentence for something that happened in 2015. A few months ago he was charged with another felony that took place in Anoka in 2001, by a person who had an ax to grind with him. Raphael has no problem saying he’s guilty when he is; he has told me all about his sordid past. But in this instance he was not guilty and his wife could corroborate that, but she wouldn’t testify for him.
On top of that, Raphael has a public defender who just goes through the motions and has been more concerned with his own convenience than trying to do what is best for his client. He didn’t even show up for the plea hearing. I prayed on the way to the hearing but had doubts of how it would all work out for Raphael’s good. Would God take care of one of his newest sons? Would Romans 8:28 hold true? I shouldn’t have doubted because the Lord provided. You’ll hear the rest of the story next Tuesday.