The Night Watchman

Deafening noises surrounded me
I was blinded by all the "bling-bling"
I couldn't see past tomorrow
And who knew what the next day would bring

I heard talk about some god
I didn't see him, I didn't hear him
But others said they did
I thought it was just their whim

It's a crutch, I would say
I didn't need this god of theirs
Prayer, worship and going to church?
I always thought that stuff was for squares

Nothing in my life told me otherwise
My parents broke up when I was five
I was a punching bag for the local bully
I did what I could just to survive

But then one day I met this god
I was alone in a cell in some county jail
I spent the night with the night watch guard
Some blind old man who could only read Braille

I said to myself, how dumb is that!
A blind old man guarding the cell
All he cared about was reading his Bible
And preaching to me about heaven and hell

I told the man I knew all about hell
Why, I was an expert on that subject
I shared with him my sad and sorry story
How nothing but grief did I expect

The old man listened to me like no one had
His wrinkled face strangely peaceful
And with his old bony fingers across each page
The blind man read to me from the Bible

All night long the old man shared the story of God
Of his love and mercy, and of Christ his Son
To my surprise, I found myself listening intently
And wished that the old man was never done

But morning came and the old man left
And at the table sat the morning guard
He picked up the Bible and began to read
Though he did not have for it the same regard

After some time he put the book down
And I asked if I could borrow the Bible
He laughed out loud, picked up the book and asked...
You mean this old jailhouse manual?

I told him of how I spent the night
With the old blind guard reading the Bible
The guard once again laughed out loud
As he put the book down on the table

He said there could be no blind old man
Because there was no guard on watch that night
He explained that the jail was short-handed
Because the jailhouse budget was very tight

So it was that night that I first met God
And learned about his love for me
Now I understand and believe
Because in that cell, God set me free

2 Corinthians 11:23 – Acts 16:25-26 – Revelation 2:10

My Reflection: There are stories of people “finding” God in prison. Saint Paul himself, who in his early life persecuted Christians (and perhaps had some thrown in prison) spent time in prison. Even today, Christians are incarcerated in some places for practicing their faith. So, actually, it would not be unusual to encounter God in prison when one considers that some of his best ambassadors have been there too.