No hopeless case

In the run up to Christmas, in fact about a week before Christmas Day itself, we had a meal for the homeless and more needy people of Durham.

Lee, a twenty three year old lad who has alternated the last five years of his life sleeping rough or sleeping in a prison cell, was so looking forward to this meal and in fact not just the meal but his present too.

Lee, is a hardened criminal. Often he is a nightmare for the police and boasts literally hundreds of arrests, court appearances and convictions to his name.

He has had the most incredibly difficult upbringing and life. Rejected by his mother, his father has died and basically he has been left since about the age of ten to fend for himself.

He is street wise, street feared, and street tough.

He was released form prison two years ago from a violence charge, and came straight from there to us at Sanctuary 21. He has been in our building every day since.

He is an integral part of our community.

He is wild.

He is also a human being.

He is a child of God.

Lee never made it to the Christmas meal he was so desperate to be at.

I found out he'd been to court and they had sent him down for six months for another fight related offence.

We were devastated.

I knew how every day leading up to the meal that he had told me that he couldn't wait for his present.

He'd literally never really had one before.

After Christmas I was back at Sanctuary 21. I was in the cafe, trying to fixing a prison visit to go and see Lee.

As I was actually listening to the dialling tone leading to some phone in Durham prison office, in walks Lee into the cafe.

A massive beaming smile on his face.

I was praying he hadn't escaped!

"They let me out" he was shouting excitedly.

"Someone came to my cell this morning and told me I had a court appearance. And the judge cut my sentence and they let me go!"

I was so please to see him.

Then he said something devastatingly fantastic.

To fantastic to even feel true.

But it was true.

"Gaz" he said, "I did what you told me to do and I got on my knees in my cell and prayed!"

"Half the night!"

My heart swelled immediately.

"I prayed That God would get me out of jail. I told him I would go to church every week, if he got me out of here!"

I've got to say I'm not lost for words often, but this time? I didn't know what to say.

Lee then said he was coming to our service this week and wanted to know Jesus more.

There is a long way to go for Lee, but all the prayer our people have done, all the love shown to a young man with seemingly no hope, all the patience and all the advice including some real telling offs from people who want the best for him, have carried Gods saving power.

It's like a literal twenty first century Acts 12 occurrence.

The freeing essence of the Holy Spirit.

The literal power of prayer.

Lee on the surface of it seems unreachable, unteachable, even unlovable at times.

He seems like a walking no hoper.

Transformation seems an impossibility.

But.

There is no truth in impossibility where God is concerned.

There is no truth in impossibility where prayer is concerned.

Even though its hard to get our human heads around it sometimes.

It comes down to this.

In Gods eyes?

There is no hopeless case.

We are working hard to rescue Lee.

Armed with the knowledge that there is no hopeless case.

That knowledge completely changes how we look at ourselves and look at others.

No hopeless case.

I pray for us that we will understand that.

That our eyes of mission will be improved by having the ability to see others as Jesus does.

And that we would all constantly through our relationship with Jesus, continue to look to rescue the millions of Lees in this world through prayer and through action.

Blessings.