Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, we open our hearts to You right now. The world around us feels chaotic, and anxiety knocks at our doors daily. We ask that You silence our fears. Help us to see past our immediate struggles and catch a glimpse of Your grand design. Calm our restless minds as we study Your word. Amen.
Trust the Divine Shield: God will never hold back good things or true blessings from those who strive to live righteously and maintain their integrity.
Throughout my life journey, I have always felt the spirit of God’s superpower, a blessing bestowed upon me, even as I was a little child. It was God’s holy spirit with the angels watching over me, protecting my body and soul from the dangers of an early death this wicked world would cause. Imagine at nine years old, a little boy walking home from school full of life and dreams. In a tragic moment a drunk driver hits him, leaving him with injuries so severe the doctor told his family, “There’s little hope for him to live.” But his family refuses to give up on him. They gather around the hospital bed, praying fearfully, asking God for a miracle. They hold his hand and whisper words of love and faith into his little ears. They strongly believe that his life is in God’s hands. As the days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, something extroardinary happens, against all odds: I begin to talk again. I begin to walk again. My body is healing. My mom and my grandma credit the power of prayer and the grace of God for the strength of faith that brought me through. During this unimaginable time, the community joins in, offering prayer and support and acts of kindness that reminded my family they were not alone.
Oh! Here I am today, 53 years old, mighty, healthy, and strong, with a sound, stable mind. Now, as I look back over my past life, I see nothing but God’s divine seal of protection. So today I say, let nobody steal your peace, joy, and happiness: just be thankful to have a talk with your Creator in prayer.
As a young church deacon raised by a devoted mother and grandmother, I had a strong sense of faith and social responsibilities. At the age of 13, I was admired in my community for my dedication to church service, for helping older people, and for being a model to other youth. However, as I entered high school, I felt the pull of peer pressure and the desire to fit in. One night at the age of 14, I grabbed my jacket and slipped out the back door. The air was fresh as I jogged to the store feeling a sense of freedom wash over me. When I arrived, I saw Dre, Leroy, Magna, Stanley, and Sidney in the woods waving for me. We hand dapped and cheered. For a while, I forgot about church entirely. I peeked out from behind the trees, watching as my mom and grandma drove by in the car. My heart started racing because I was supposed to be in the backseat of that car. As they got out of sight, I walked from the woods going inside the store called Hilltop, a little green-colored convenience store that sat on top of a hill on the turn into Jackson Road. It was a safe haven for many young teenagers. This business was where everyone in the community chilled out or did grocery shopping. Inside the store were little kids from the neighborhood running around grabbing chips, soda, and candy. My friend and I went to play on the video games, Pac-Man and Centipede. We laughed and laughed. The lady who ran the store asked, “Randy, are you skipping church again?” I said, “Yes, ma’am,” while grinning from side to side. She teased me, saying, “The Devil’s going to get you!” I felt scared and started walking outside. My partner and them were around the corner of the store, flipping through Playboy magazines, getting sexually aroused. We started laughing saying, “Shh, shh, shhh, keep it down! Keep it down!” I propped down on a five-gallon bucket, cracking open a beer can. For the next few hours I felt free from the watchful eye of my mom and my grandmama. As night fell, my stomach began to tighten. I knew Mom and Grandmama would be coming home soon, and I would have to hear my mom’s voice full of disappointment, fussing and cussing.
When I made it home that night, I sat alone in my room, looking through cars, trucks, and outdoor life magazines, thinking, “Why did I skip church to hang out with my friends? They can’t teach me anything but bad habits.” I just couldn’t shake the nagging feelings inside the back of my mind. I was thinking about church and the last sermon the preacher gave. But spending time with my friends was relaxing and fun. Now, I was missing out on something meaningful.
When Sunday came around, I showed up at church and sat in the pew to listen to the sermon. I thought it was the perfect place to learn and grow. But I also felt torn between church and spending time with my friends.
For most of my life I could not see the light for the blindfold over my eyes. I loved the darkness better than the light, filled with the love of pleasure and the evil acts of violence, with sins of jealousy, pride, and rage. I was unaware of the dangers of the unforeseen wicked forces that were killing and destroying my soul, breaking me down to many small pieces, like an eggshell fallen on hard ground.
One afternoon while walking slowly around the prison yard with my head bowed over, thinking about my dead loved ones, weighted down by this burden of regret and isolation, I lifted my head to the sky. The sun shone brightly, blinding my eyes, causing hot warmth over my body. I felt the light on my skin. Burning hot. Reminding me of the great power of nature. Inside later on as night fell, I looked out the window and saw the moon as it appeared in the sky. It was soft, glowing, illuminating. Then I saw the stars, or maybe a satellite twinkling above, reminding me of the larger universe beyond the prison walls. I felt a sense of connection to something greater than myself. The cycle of these celestial bodies and planets, the moon and the stars, the sun that sparked a sense of hope and purpose and awareness to renew my mind for a new beginning that reflected on my capacity for change and healing. Looking from the inspired beauty in the cosmic order of the universe, I felt a personal spiritual experience, a metaphor for guidance and transformation. The sound was like a whisper in my ears, like a woman’s breath filled with the laughter of healing.
The touch of God’s spirit is soft as the moonlight shining at night. The memories are like rain. I taste the sweetness of honey, it is something like a forbidden fruit, like a cherry wine inside my mouth. The scent is like a garden of flowers wrapping around my nose with the perfume of love and passion.
Throughout my day, as I wake up in my cell, I pray. Throughout my walk going to eat at the dining hall, I pray. As I go on the yard to talk away and get a breath of fresh air, I pray. Throughout my work in the education department, I pray.
Closing Prayer: Lord, we hand our worries over to You. Forgive us for trying to control the future. We choose to believe that Your plans for us are good, even when we mess things up. Give us the vision to see the path You have laid out for us. Amen.
