Chaplain receives inmate’s prayer as “a drink of cool water” in prison

On a recent trip to two maximum security prisons in Virginia, I felt in my bones what one psalmist described as a “dry and weary land where there is no water.” The GraceInside leadership team was visiting our five chaplains assigned at Wallens Ridge and Red Onion. These chaplains minister in a tense and difficult environment, where there are numerous challenges. But there are also signs of life and hope. God abides with them, and they bless us in our ministry.

I love this story of a brief encounter shared by GraceInside Chaplain Eddie Mullins:

“There are days when someone offers you a bottle of water, and you don’t realize you were thirsty until that thirst is quenched. Recently, I was having a busy day, but I slowed down to visit cell by cell. I wasn’t rushing, and my mind wasn’t preoccupied. Maybe that’s why I didn’t feel thirsty. In the echoey walls of a prison pod, a chaplain’s presence is known long before they reach a cell door. After I introduced myself on this particular day, the inmate said, ‘Can I pray for you?’ It caught me off guard. His prayer was soothing and cooling as I felt God’s presence over me—like a drink of cool water quenching my thirsty soul.”

Have you ever been surprised by an exchange like this, when you went to be a blessing or minister, but you ended up with so much more than you gave? This happens so often in prison. We pour ourselves out in a dry and weary land, and sometimes we don’t see the results of our labor. Sometimes we feel ourselves dry and wearied. But then, in surprising and humbling moments of grace, a gift of refreshment comes from the very people we are there to serve.

I’m reminded of Isaiah 43:20: “I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people.” Would you please pray for our chaplains and GraceInside as we serve a God who provides “streams in the wasteland”? We have been sent out by the church, trained and equipped for this specialized ministry, and we work to proclaim Good News even in the dry and weary prison yards. Please pray for our team of 35 chaplains.  

Would you also consider a Lenten or monthly offering to help sustain this ministry among our incarcerated brothers and sisters? They so often surprise and refresh us in moments of grace. Grace, indeed, is inside. 

To Him be glory in the church forever!