Be Still And Know

Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. I am so grateful that when I was at university I was encouraged to visit the local prison once a week. We visited the young offenders’ wing and so I was meeting people of my own age, which was such a valuable experience. I had never met prisoners before and so I assumed that they would be completely different from me. They weren’t. They were intelligent, interesting and amusing and it was fascinating to hear the story of their lives. Prisons, in the days of the early Church, would have been completely different from anything that I encountered. The Romans normally stripped prisoners naked and flogged them prior to their imprisonment. Their wounds would not have received medical attention and the prisoners were expected to sit in painful leg or wrist chains. Their filthy clothing was not replaced even in winter. Prisons were often underground and would h