With so many men and women in our prisons wanting to be free from the life of crime in which they feel trapped, there are enormous opportunities for the gospel. And, of course, there are many pastoral needs, too, not only amongst those serving a prison sentence but also within their families.
Those who wish to pray daily through the month may like to follow the monthly plan below and perhaps also pray specifically for one or two prisons.
| 448 | 1st | for those for whom this month will be especially painful, triggering, for example, the memory of the loss of a loved one or the loss of contact with a child or family. |
| 449 | 2nd | for those vulnerable to self-harming and attempts at suicide, that they will receive the extra support and care needed and will be kept safe. |
| 450 | 3rd | for those in prison on licence recall, that they would overcome any sense of shame and failure and work towards re-establishing a positive life for themselves in the community. |
| 451 | 4th | for the protection and safe resettlement of those being released this month. Pray that those who wish to attend a church will settle in one that is welcoming and supportive. |
| 452 | 5th | for those in custody for the first time and frightened, that staff will show compassion and help them to feel safe. |
| 453 | 6th | for those who are desperately lonely, without any contact from outside and feeling isolated within the prison. Pray that chaplains, officers and other inmates would make time for them. |
| 454 | 7th | for the men and women recently released and with a history of reoffending, that they will have the support they need to break that cycle. |
| 455 | 8th | for chaplains, that the Lord will sustain them and encourage them as they provide pastoral and spiritual support to the residents. |
| 456 | 9th | for all officers who have been victims of a serious assault recently. Pray for their healing. |
| 457 | 10th | for healthcare staff, that they will be enabled to care with skill, love and compassion, despite all the demands upon them. Give thanks to God for them. Pray especially for Christians, that they might display Christ’s love to those for whom they care. |
| 458 | 11th | for the newly recruited officers, that they will be kept safe during their early days of becoming familiar with the prison regime. Pray for the experienced officers who oversee them. |
| 459 | 12th | for all Christians – staff and volunteers - working in our prisons, that the Lord will enable them to bring glory to God as they serve Him and seek to be ‘salt and light’. |
| 460 | 13th | for those preparing messages for chapel services, that the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak; pray that the gospel will be proclaimed boldly. |
| 461 | 14th | for the Lord’s help to volunteers engaged in letter writing, that their letters will bring comfort and encouragement to the men and women who receive them. |
| 462 | 15th | for children taken into care as a result of one or both parents being in prison, that they will be healed from the emotional damage of losing their parents. |
| 463 | 16th | for families impacted financially by imprisonment and for organisations such as Christians Against Poverty who support them through practical care and advice. |
| 464 | 17th | for the protection of children whose lives have been dominated by the criminal activity of one or both parents. Pray that they will be kept free from crime themselves. |
| 465 | 18th | for communities troubled by an increase in violent crime, that effective policing will reverse the trend. |
| 466 | 19th | for ‘rehabs’ (and especially for the Christian ministries), that, through their programmes, many men and women will overcome their addiction and that many will also commit to follow Christ. |
| 467 | 20th | for agencies working to protect children and young people from alcohol and drug abuse. |
| 468 | 21st | for children with a parent in prison that, wherever possible and appropriate, they will be able to maintain contact with their parent. Pray for the protection of those children who are at risk of turning to crime themselves. |
| 469 | 22nd | that many men and women, especially unbelievers, might respond to BeaconLight’s gospel message – and the offer of a book – in this month’s Inside Time (the paper produced for residents). |
| 470 | 23rd | for those who are suffering from mental illness, that they will receive the care and treatment they need. |
| 471 | 24th | for those who are grieving and for those who are concerned for loved ones who are seriously, or terminally, ill, that they might to turn to God and draw strength from Him and His Word. |
| 472 | 25th | that many might come to faith in Christ whilst in prison. Pray that the Lord will use the teaching and preaching, the personal and group Bible studies, the gospel literature and the witness of believers, all for this purpose of drawing unbelievers to Christ. |
| 473 | 26th | for men and women who are violent towards staff, that they will receive specialist support and treatment if needed. Pray that God will intervene in their life, convicting them about their behaviour and of their need of Jesus. |
| 474 | 27th | for men and women with confused beliefs; pray for wisdom for chaplains that they will be able to clearly communicate the truth of the gospel. |
| 475 | 28th | for those overcome with guilt and shame for their crimes, that they might turn to Christ and know that they are forgiven and cleansed by His sacrificial death. |
| 476 | 29th | for those feeling the shame of a crime committed by a family member and consider themselves victims (and perhaps ostracised in their community); pray that they will find support from Christians and be enabled to forgive their family member. |
| 477 | 30th | for victims whose lives have been seriously impacted by injuries and trauma; pray for their healing and that they will be enabled to live fulfilled lives. |