Victory Over Vertigo, Part 1

I attended an early morning teacher’s meeting at my church and was given a copy of an interesting article written about the tenth commandment.

After discussing some of the more salient points with my colleagues, I folded the paper and placed it in my tote bag. I informed everyone that the following week I would not be attending church because it was my turn to take part in prison ministries during the worship service at the men’s prison. It was always a joy to carpool with prison ministry volunteers when it was our turn to drive the two and a half hours to Cumberland, Maryland, United States.

We met in the parking lot of a church located close to the interstate.

Our group usually rode in my van, and I waited as they parked their cars and prepared to join me in my vehicle. Each volunteer had a role to play in the worship service, and we looked forward to ministering at the men’s prison. We waited a while for the last person to arrive at the pickup point. That person had been assigned the responsibility of preaching the sermon that day. As the departure time drew near, we received a message that the person we were waiting for was no longer able to join us. Five people were in our group that day, and we briefly discussed the possibility of one of us preparing a sermon.

Time was of the essence because the facility has a strict time policy.

We had to be there at a specific time, and we needed to leave soon if we were going to make it in time. We formed a circle and had a word of prayer, asking the Lord to guide and bless us. We needed to decide and reach a consensus on what to do.

Now I was not only the driver but also the one designated to preach the sermon that afternoon. As you might imagine, I felt anxious as I exited the parking lot to begin the drive toward our destination through the mountainous area of western Maryland.

As I drove, I silently prayed, Lord, how in the world will I be able to preach in a maximum-security prison for men when I have never preached before? I was unsure how the Lord would answer my prayer—but I felt certain He had heard me.

Charlene M. Wright