You’d Be Surprised How Many People Are In Prison! … Hello Hump Day readers. A long time ago I shared a devotion somewhat of the one I am sending you out today. Our world is spinning out of control; we’ve known that for quite a while but God is still taking care of us even if we think everything is going to ‘hell in a basket’! So, let’s take a walk in “our prison” – it may wake us up to a better life?!

Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. The facility has more inmates than bunks. More prisoners than plates. More residents than resources. Come with me to the world’s most oppressive prison. Just ask the inmates; they will tell you. They are overworked and underfed. Their walls are bare and bunks are hard. No prison is so populated, no prison so oppressive, and, what’s more, no prison is so permanent. Most inmates never leave. They never escape. They never get released. They serve a life sentence in this overcrowded, under-provisioned facility.

You ask, “what is the name of this prison?” You’ll see it over the entrance: W-A-N-T…and that is what this prison is—our constant ‘want’. What does that mean—something bigger or nicer, faster, thinner—you can pile up the words for what they want. But Lord, I W-A-N-T just one thing which turns into many things. Sadly, we believe that “one-thing,” will make us happy. But soon that new-car smell passes, the new job gets old, the new spouse has bad habits and the sizzle fizzles—another ex-con breaks parole and returns to jail. It’s like you are in a prison! Here’s a few warnings that indicate you are in prison:

1) You feel better when you have more and worse when you have less;
2) If joy is one delivery away, one transfer away, one award away, or one makeover away;
3) If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest.

Let’s face it, any of these things and more has you in prison—the prison of W-A-N-T.

In Timothy 6:6-8 from The Message Bible, the Apostle Paul said: “A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.”

When we surrender to God and give him our cumbersome sack of discontent, we don’t just give up something—we gain everything! God replaces it with a lightweight, tailor-made, sorrow-resistant attaché of gratitude. Yet, some folks say, “What will you gain with contentment? Get out there and get what you W-A-N-T.

And that is often the motto of our society. But if you speak to others on this subject, you may find something completely different, such as: “I gained my marriage back; I gained precious hours with my kids and family; I gained my self-respect; I gained the joy I lost; I gained the faith I had set aside” and so much more.

In closing, let us embrace these words from David in Psalm 23:1… “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Say it over and over when you are in a pinch, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want-the LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Let those words be written on your heart, mind and soul, Amen…Oh—wait a minute, hold on, I think I just heard something? Oh yes, it’s just wonderful because I heard the opening of a jail door! Thank you, Jesus, Hallelujah! AMEN.