Pastor James Coates’ expected release from jail has been delayed after he was unable to secure a hearing before the weekend.
In a post on Instagram, James’ wife Erin said her husband’s freedom is not yet set in stone, as a judge has to agree to the terms of the deal.
Lawyers were hoping to secure a hearing on Friday, however, they’ll now have to wait until Monday to plead their case.
Erin described the ordeal as “heartbreaking” and an emotional rollercoaster for the Coates’ young children, but said their hope remains “in the perfect sovereign will of God.”
“Hi friends, so we weren’t able to get the Friday hearing we hoped for,” Erin Coates said. “James’ hearing is Monday morning. This breaks my heart that he has to wait and be away from our family and GLC when he was so excited to potentially get out.
“He is trusting the Lord with it. He said his work for the Lord must not be done yet. Please remember that even his release is not set in stone…the JCCF article stated they EXPECT the release of James in the upcoming days. The judge has to agree to the terms of the deal. We have high hopes but ultimately our hope is in the Lord.
“This has been an emotional roller coaster for my children. We have been praying for the last couple of days that our hope would not be in the timing of James’ release but in the perfect sovereign will of God. I’m not going to lie, every day without him is a little harder especially with the prospect of his release. I’m trying to subject my emotions to the Lord and trust in His timing alone.
“Please pray for James, this is the fifth Sunday without GLC, he misses the body. Please pray that he would use the most of his time and that God would continue to protect him. Please pray he would have the words to speak with his statement before the judge and that he will glorify the great name of Christ Jesus. Thank you everyone. I’m so thankful that you all pray so fervently for us, how we need it!”
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