You are right; something is wrong here – and it ought to concern every one of us. Not only are millions of men and women in danger of being scarred for life, but their families often pay a terrible price that is often overlooked.

No doubt the reasons for our soaring prison population are complex, from the flood of drugs reaching our streets to the breakdown of our families. But beneath them all is a deeper issue – and that is the moral and spiritual decay threatening our whole society. We live in a time when people are being told that their only goal in life should be to live for themselves and ignore everyone else (including God) – and we are paying the price for that lie. Jesus warned, “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin!” (Matthew 18:7).

We need to do more to reach our world (and particularly our young people) with the message of Christ. Only He can change our hearts, and only He can change our world as we yield our lives to Him. We also need to do more to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness and hope to prisoners and their families.

Never forget: When God works, Satan won’t be far behind. God has blessed our society, and we must never take His mercies for granted. But Satan (the Bible says) is “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Pray that his assaults on our society will be turned back and Christ will be victorious.