March 12, 2012 Journal Entry, God wants me to go to jail?

Dear God, this morning I felt a tug by Your Spirit prompting me to go sing at the local jail. In my heart, I whispered my reply. “You mean the same place I was taken to on the night of my arrest?” It took a moment to push my doubts aside before I decided to turn on my favorite worship songs. “Perhaps You’ll confirm Your will through a song?” I thought.

Song after song played over my computer. Yet, unlike usual, not one song moved my heart. Then suddenly, "How Great Thou Art" struck a chord with each note piercing a little deeper. I closed my eyes and rehearsed the song as though I was standing before You, singing the Words directly to You. My arms filled with goosebumps while calmness came over me. I knew that I would have help from Your Spirit. Therefore, it only took a few practice runs, before I felt ready to sing the song in public. Soon, I was in the car and on my way.

I arrived at the jail and pulled into the parking lot. I called my husband and shared a laugh with him. "Clear your credit cards just in case I need to make bail for disturbing the peace."  I jokingly said. Then, I boldly walked into the main lobby area. Immediately, I noticed two young adults sitting in the hard red plastic lobby chairs. They looked up at me as I sat down beside them. My eyes slowly scanned the quiet the room. I was surprised when the room didn’t look at all like I had remembered the night I was arrested three short years ago. Suddenly, a feeling of gratitude overcame me. "Thank You, God, for saving me from the path I was on! I love You, Lord!" I quietly prayed in my heart. Then, I looked at the woman beside me and quietly asked, "Are you okay?" She smiled and replied, "Yes, thank you." I felt a strange connection to her, so I continued. "Do you have family in there?" She simply replied, "No. I have to do some time." I immediately began to share my personal testimony with the stranger.

With tears welling in her eyes, she softly said, "I didn't want to come today." My heart filled with compassion. Through Your Spirit LORD, I softly replied, "You might be surprised. It may not be as bad as you imagine. The night I was arrested, my new life began.  That night, I met Jesus. I’ll pray for you to do the same." Before I stood up, the woman offered her name. I paused for a moment. Then, I said, "I’ll add your name to my prayer board as soon as I return home." She tearfully thanked me.

In my car, I remembered the reason I thought I had come to this familiar place. But, I had walked away from the jail and was now sitting in my car alone. I wondered, who I was supposed to sing the song for now. “Perhaps the song wasn’t meant for anyone else’s benefit, but Your’s LORD.” I began to wonder.

In my car alone, with the windows rolled down, I began to sing. And, with the help of Your Spirit, I was hitting all the notes! Halfway through the song, I noticed that a few groundskeepers had stopped raking for a moment. Then I watched as a patrol officer rolled down the tinted windows of his K-9 patrol car. He was parked just a few feet in front of my car. I kept on singing. While I sang, I noticed that the officer slowly tapped the tips of his fingers on his steering wheel. This encouraged me to sing even louder.  "Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee. How great thou art. How great thou art!"

When the song had finished, I slowly drove out of the county jail parking lot. Perhaps I’ll never know the results of this task. Even so, I’ve decided to pray for the salvation of each person You placed along my path today.  Thank You, LORD, for another glorious day of service to You, my Master and King!