Just a Closer Walk
by
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The Joy of the Lord
Key verse: Nehemiah 8:10 Bible passage: Isaiah 35:1-4
“.... Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
There are times when God’s Word touches our heart so deeply all we can do is weep. Israel had been without the law for many long years, and when Ezra brought out the Law and began to read, the people wept with grief. They felt the hand of God heavy upon them, and knew once again that they were indeed His people.
It gives God great pleasure to bless us, and the blessings often comes when we least expect them. This time is was during a major prison disturbance, where fights were breaking out throughout the institution. Even though staff and inmates were tired and on edge, the Lord gave me a great blessing.
Spotting a Christian inmate sitting on a bench waiting for his medication, I walked over to see how he was coping. As with most of us, he was very tired of all the excitement. I decided to share with him something that I’d experienced earlier that day.
I told him that after running from one fight to another I was tired and starting to feel grumpy. Right then God’s Word came to me, a verse I’d been meditating on all week “...the joy of the Lord is your strength.” I was half exhausted at the time, so I wondered how I could experience God’s strength when I am surely not experiencing His joy!? I then understood I needed to deliberately turn off my grumbling attitude and let His joy and strength in–by faith in His promises. Instantly my heart turned from grumpy to joyful–God’s joy! I felt strengthened and encouraged, ready to face the rest of the day, whatever it would bring.
After I shared this experience with him, he in turn quoted an uplifting Psalm. Together, in the midst of the turmoil and violence surrounding us, we held a brief time of fellowship–yes, a worship service! We were not expecting God to bless us that busy afternoon, but our compassionate God extended a hand to His children who needed a generous dose of strength and joy. What a compassionate God we have.
Are you experienced trying times? Have you sown in tears but have yet to reap the songs of joy (Psalm 126:5-6)? The Israelites opened God’s Word after it was lost for years, and it transformed them out of their grief. You also, my friend, can open your Bible, where He can say to you “.... Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Trivial Matters
Key verse: Deuteronomy 30:14 Bible Passage: Psalm 119:9-24
“ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.”
Wonderful things happen when God’s Word is put into someone’s hand. It gives God the opportunity to speak to a heart so they can consider His ways, or it may open their eyes and see God’s wonderful ways (Psalm 119: 18).
Early in my career I worked in a Dormitory setting. An inmate and I began doing Bible trivia on occasion, and after a while another joined us… then another. Eventually this event became more formal, having a rule or two and a set time. We had several faithful attendees, and enjoyed testing one another in God’s Word.
The time came for our trivia one evening, and it surprised me when a dozen convicted felons came smiling and jostling into position, trying to stump the ‘teacher’. What a thrill it was to see so many men getting into their Bibles!
What I enjoyed most was that these guys were reading the Word of God, perhaps for the first time in years. True, maybe their motives were not ideal, but I believe God can use it all to His glory. He promises that His Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
It wasn’t long after the group got larger when a Captain pulled me aside and suggested I stop this practice–for security concerns, you see? This served to remind me that the devil doesn’t want the Bible used–in prison, or anywhere else for that matter. I did as the captain advised, in submission to someone in authority over me. The men were disappointed, but I heard much later that a few of the men continued the Bible trivia on their own.
Sometimes we must ask ourselves: “Is there a unique way I can stir the hearts of those around me to get into God’s Word?” Maybe it can be trivia, memorization, posters, tracts or quotes, but God can use anything offered to Him in faith, and make it go a long way. Just ask the little boy with the loaves and fishes!
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About the Book
In Just a Closer Walk, author Jerry Marshall, a Christian Correctional Officer, offers a unique perspective on his work experience and personal life. As God challenged him, he in turn wrote devotionals to encourage himself and others to experience a closer walk with Christ. We all experience loneliness, depression, anger, fear, or helplessness at some point in our lives. Through short, personal stories, Marshall tells us about how he dealt with these issues and shows how we can also overcome them to have a victorious life in Christ.
Marshall takes examples from the Word of God and from his experiences and applies them to the problems each of us face on a daily basis. He has encountered the pains and trials of those behind prison walls, a wide range of people with many issues and difficulties, and explains how Christ’s love brought healing power into the prison’s darkness.
Just a Closer Walk, seeks to offer comfort to the hurting and encourages them to trust in God. He challenges those who feel they are settling for stale bread when they can experience the Bread of Life. Marshall speaks from his heart about God’s love, righteousness, and desire to draw His children into a closer walk with Him.
About the Author
Following his service in the US Air Force, Jerry Marshall attended Multnomah School of the Bible, where he majored in Bible and Journalism, with the idea of doing what he enjoyed most, writing about the Lord. He worked at San Quentin Prison for two years and then at the Oregon State Penitentiary for thirty years. His experiences and interactions with inmates there provided much of his devotional material.