“I sat where they sat,” Ezekial 3:15. Here we have a sad story. God had warned His people about their sin, but as usual, they had not listened.
Jeremiah had wept as he preached, but they didn’t listen. Nebuchadnezzer, King of Babylon had conquered Israel and taken 10,000 skilled craftsmen and leaders captive. Ezekial was with them. He saw upclose and personal, the look of terror in the prisoners eyes. He felt the pain of those whose entire life’s work was now destroyed as they faced a very uncertain future. Ezekial knew because Ezekial sat where they sat.
Having been in jail for two and a half months, facing sentencing this Friday, I can say there is no way to describe the emotions and the knot that develops in the pit of the stomach and stays there. While there are many hopeful factors in our case that may result in an acquittal, dismissal, or the case being turned over on appeal, most of the men in this room with me do not even have a glimmer of hope. They are going to prison for a long time. As I sit where they sit, my heart breaks for them. I pray for each one of them often and talk with them as opportunities come up each day. But sometimes, all you can do is sit, be quiet, and listen. America has rejected God’s law and His Word for the most part. So have many of the men in jail.
Robert was seventeen when he was arrested. He faces nine years in prison. His older sisters started him on drugs when he was only five. They thought it was cute to blow marijuana smoke in his face, so they could watch him get high also. Robert did poorly in school and dropped out. He says that he is a “stoner.” He looks about fifteen. He has no marketable skills and no training from his parents to fall back on. I weep when I think of his future.
John, a twenty-two year old white male, has no job skills except that of selling drugs. His mother introduced him to “pot” the day she got out of prison when he was thirteen. John has already spent six and a half years behind bars and is destined to be here again, as the only way he knows to make money on the outside is to sell drugs. He has no clue how to be a Godly husband or father. Where do you start to rebuild a life like that?
Sometimes, I feel like a missionary in a jungle tribe. Now that I have “sat where they sat”, I will be a more zealous soul winner, and re-double my efforts to reach children especially. The creation message is the greatest tool that I have ever seen to do this. I can’t wait to get back out preaching.
Please pray for us and Judge Casey Rogers on Friday morning, January 19, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. Judge Rogers can rule in any number of ways. Pray specifically for an acquittal to be granted or that the Eleventh Circuit will grant our motion for release and turn the case over on appeal. The acquittal would be best for all involved.
More later,
Kent Hovind