'Amazing Grace': Ravi Zacharias Says Death Row Brought Him to Tears as He Ministered at Angola Prison 

Steve Warren
06-12-2019

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Last week, Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias and others visited Angola Prison in Louisiana, one of the largest penitentiaries in the country. 

Zacharias wrote about his experience inside the prison in two separate posts to Instagram.  

In the first post, he wrote, "It is powerfully moving to see what God is doing behind these prison bars. Incredible stories unfold here."

In a second Instagram post, Zacharias wrote about visiting the men on the prison's Death Row and the amazing thing that happened.

"What a day at Angola Prison!" he wrote. "What memories. I will say more later. For now, I just want to share that walking through Death Row is one of the most sobering things I have ever done. Praying with those there makes it impossible to block the tears."

"Suddenly from one of the cells burst out the ringing voice of one singing Amazing Grace," he continued. "I walked over to his cell as he sang. Then he handed me this cross that he had made."

"Even in a dark place, the Gospel is shining with grace and power," Zacharias noted. "That is the only hope for the world because we are all prisoners of sin, and only the cross has the answer and the freedom. Thank you for praying for us. God used our team with His anointing and power."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What a day at Angola Prison! What memories. I will say more later. For now I just want to share that walking through Death Row is one of the most sobering things I have ever done. Praying with those there makes it impossible to block the tears. Suddenly from one of the cells burst out the ringing voice of one singing Amazing Grace. I walked over to his cell as he sang. Then he handed me this cross that he had made. Even in a dark place, the Gospel is shining with grace and power. That is the only hope for the world because we are all prisoners of sin, and only the cross has the answer and the freedom. Thank you for praying for us. God used our team with His anointing and power.

A post shared by Ravi Zacharias (@ravizacharias) on

As CBN News reported, Zacharias was also recently asked to address the skepticism surrounding prayer as an antidote for illness in regards to comments made by Jeopardy host Alex Trebek. 
 
"Well, I think it's misunderstanding of two things. Number one, whether God actually exists, that's the first question. Otherwise, it's all auto-suggestion. And number two, what prayer is really all about," he told Fox News.

In an interview on evangelism last year with CBN.com, Zacharias was asked about how some Christians should tackle their fear of evangelism. 

"Look at the Lord himself. It took so long, you know, those three years of public ministry and even then, He lost one of the nearest fold," he replied. "Don't be fearful of being in the right, be fearful of being in the wrong. So go out with courage and let God anoint you and equip you to do what He has called you to do."

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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