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Albert E. Brumley has been described as the “pre-eminent gospel songwriter” of the 20th century with over 600 published songs. Other titles of his include “Jesus, Hold My Hand”, “Turn Your Radio On”, “I’ll Meet You in the Morning”, and “This World Is Not My Home”. According to interviews, in 1929, Brumley came up with the idea for the song while picking cotton on his father’s farm in Rock Island, Oklahoma. Brumley says that as he worked he was “humming the old ballad that went like this: ‘If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly,’ and suddenly it dawned on me that I could use this plot for a gospel-type song.” The song Brumley described appears to be “The Prisoner’s Song”] It was an additional three years later until Brumley worked out the rest of the song, paraphrasing one line from the secular ballad to read, “Like a bird from prison bars has flown” using prison as an analogy for earthly life. Brumley has stated, “When I wrote it, I had no idea that it would become so universally popular.”
First of all, please do not raise your hands for this question! If tomorrow you found out I was in prison would you come visit me, no matter what rumor you had heard, or as to why I was imprisoned? What if I were preaching tomorrow and I were preaching against adultery, fornication, liars, thieves, murderers or heaven forbid, Idolaters , or, homosexuality. Or I just royally fell off the wagon and committed some sin and got put in jail, would you come visit me? The supreme court just ruled Friday, that States cannot pass laws banning same sex marriage. What about the widows and the old folks? Are they to be ignored? Are we just to put them aside?
The one kind of prisoner we are or should be, a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
The word Prison or a form of it is in the Holy Scriptures 101 times, Widow 71 times, fatherless, 43 times I am not sure but maybe it is something we ought to think about.
Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Eph 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
Phm 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
Phm 1:9 Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Physically imprisoned
Mt 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee Mt 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, Mt 14:3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. Mt 14:4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. 9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. Mt 14:10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. Mt 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.. Mt 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Lu 12:58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. Lu 22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. Lu 23:19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Lu 23:25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Ac 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, 18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
Ac 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Ac 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. {Easter: Gr. Passover} {quaternions: a file of four soldiers} Ac 12:5 ¶ Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Ac 12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. Ac 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. Ac 12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
Ac 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Ac 16:24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. Ac 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. Ac 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. Ac 16:36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. Ac 16:37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
Ac 16:40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
Ac 26:10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Re 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Ac 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Lu 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
I pray we will not ever be in this position, but are we willing for the Lord? Are we available? Are we His soldiers?
