In Jail Ministry, There’s No Such Thing As A Typical Night

In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.
Ecclesiastes 11:6

It was one of those nights.

I’m just getting started with my Bible study at the jail when the interruptions begin. One woman in lock-down is screaming. The ladies tell me they think she is not mentally ill but demon-possessed. We pause to pray. The door opens and two officers bring in a new inmate who is not happy about her situation. I cut the prayer short.

We proceed through a few more verses. The new inmate starts yelling and cussing. Someone goes to talk to her and then has to call the officers back in because the new inmate is requesting lock-down. I can only guess that she fears losing control and getting in worse trouble. They come in and start moving people around to find a place for her. Everyone is out of their rooms talking and moving about.

The ladies who are part of the study encourage me to get back to it.

But it’s so noisy. We finally get going again but there is interruption after interruption. Like Sue used to say, you never know what will happen when you walk through those doors. I’m not frustrated; I’m just waiting. When I go there, it’s like showing up at someone’s house without calling first. They’re in the middle of life, and life doesn’t stop just because there’s a visitor.

Finally Satan gives up for the night. Everyone is quiet. We have some more study. The ladies who are participating are so attentive and make interesting comments. They tell me how much they needed the study. They say things like, “God knew we needed you to come tonight.”

As I scan all the prayer requests they have written down on the sign-in sheet, I see concerns for their children and families of course, and they want me to pray that they would be able to go home soon. But there are also requests for each other, especially for the one they believe is demon-possessed. They request prayers for specific people they know who are sick, including a pastor. And there is a request to pray for “nationwide healing and a revival.”

The women at the jail may not be the best “candidates” for the gospel because so many of them have substance abuse problems. Some of them come to the Bible studies, and when they are released they go right back to the drugs. But some of them are able to stay clean for years at a time. Besides that, some of them are baptized believers. Should they not be encouraged in their relationship with God as much as we would encourage someone who wanted to repent of adultery or who had gotten caught up in pornography or who needed help dealing with uncontrolled anger? And what about the inmates who don’t yet know the Lord? If we say there’s no hope for them because of drug addiction, then we’re saying God doesn’t have the power to change people.

That night there were nine women who sat with me for an hour, endured countless interruptions, listened attentively to the word of God, and opened up candidly with their thoughts, doubts, and struggles. Sometimes it’s hard for people in the same church to have a good a conversation about spiritual things.

The inmates always thank me for coming, but I tell them honestly that it does me just as much good and that I learn from them. I leave with my heart full and I thank God for the opportunity.

On my way out, I stop by the booking desk to sign out as usual. Only this time there are seven or eight male inmates loitering about! That’s a first! Then I remember that Tony, another jail minister, has arranged to have a baptism for the men who want it. I’m thinking they must be pretty serious about it if they’re willing to go outside and get in a tank of water on such a chilly night!

Yes, it was one of those nights. One of those crazy, wonderful nights at the county jail.

Dear God, We thank you for the opportunities you give us to serve in Your kingdom, and we’re humbled to think how You combine all our small efforts to accomplish Your will in this world. We ask You to put us in the path of people with open minds, honest hearts, and a desire to know You. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would guide the words of our mouths to speak only things that are true and edifying. Forgive us for the times we have let opportunities slip away. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins

Bonus: There Is A Balm In Gilead (traditional spiritual)

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul

Sometimes I feel discouraged
And think my work’s in vain
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again

If you cannot sing like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say, “He died for all”.

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul