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Yesterdays’s meditation briefly told the story of Richard Wurmbrand (1909-2001) who spent fourteen years as a prisoner of the communist regime in Romania, much of it in solitary confinement, oftentimes being tortured. When he was released, he was able to leave Romania and come to the United States. He he started the Voice of the Martyrs organization to pray for a serve persecuted Christians around the world. Today, they minister in 68 nations. To learn more about Richard Wurmbrand and Voice of the Martyrs, go to:
Today’s meditation consists of several quotes by Wurmbrand, wisdom learned by what he suffered.
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“My wife and I were present at a congress. Sabina told me, “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in His face.” I said to her, “If I do so, you lose your husband.” She replied, “I don’t wish to have a coward as a husband.” (He was arrested soon after.)
“Did I believe in God? Now the test had come. I was alone. There was no salary to earn, no golden opinions to consider. God offered me only suffering—would I continue to love Him?”
“It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted the communists’ terms. It was a deal; we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.”
“Even the best of Christians are troubled by the question, ‘Why does an almighty God send, or at least allow, suffering?’ When you are nagged by thoughts like this, say to yourself, “I am still in elementary school. When I graduate from the university of Christian life, I will understand His ways better and doubts will cease.”
“I tremble because of the sufferings of those persecuted in different lands. I tremble thinking about the eternal destiny of their torturers. I tremble for Western Christians who don’t help their persecuted brethren. In the depth of my heart, I would like to keep the beauty of my own vineyard and not be involved in such a huge fight. I would like so much to be somewhere in quietness and rest. But it is not possible… The quietness and rest for which I long would be an escape from reality and dangerous for my soul… The West sleeps and must be awakened to see the plight of the captive nations.”
“I have found truly jubilant Christians only in the Bible, in the Underground Church, and in prison.”
“Martin Luther, when he walked in the woods, used to raise his hat to the birds and say, ‘Good morning, theologians—you wake and sing, but I, old fool, know less than you and worry over everything, instead of simply trusting in the heavenly Father’s care.’”
“Are you seeking Jesus? Where have you been looking for Him? As you begin your day, think through the various places you will be and the people you will be with; and envision Jesus standing next to you in each of those places.”
“A man who visits a barber to be shaved, or who orders a suit from a tailor, is not a disciple, but a customer. So one who comes to the Savior only to be saved is the Savior’s customer, not His disciple. A disciple is one who says to Christ, ‘How I long to do work like Yours; to go from place to place taking away fear; bringing instead joy, truth, comfort, and life eternal.”
“When a man has no faith in the reward of good or the punishment of evil, there is no reason to be human. There is no restraint from the depths of evil that is in man. The Communist torturers often said, “There is no God, no hereafter, no punishment for evil. We can do what we wish.” I heard one torturer say, “I thank God, in whom I don’t believe, that I have lived to this hour when I can express all the evil in my heart.” He expressed it in unbelievable brutality and torture inflicted on prisoners.
“Not all of us are called to die a martyr’s death, but all of us are called to have the same spirit of self-sacrifice and love to the very end as these martyrs had.”
“Whoever has known the spiritual beauty of the Underground Church cannot be satisfied anymore with the emptiness of some Western churches. I suffer in the West more than I suffered in a Communist jail because now I see with my own eyes Western civilization dying.”
When an engineer has built a bridge, the fact that a cat can pass over the bridge is no proof that the bridge is good. A train must pass over it to prove its strength. The fact that you can be an atheist when everything goes well does not prove the truth of atheism. It does not hold up in moments of great crisis.”
“We will respond, even in the face of irony and slander, with the sweetness of love. We can afford to take this attitude because good anvils do not fear the blows of many hammers… ‘Hammer away, ye hostile bands. Your hammers break; God’s anvil stands.’”
“Faith in God is the sole answer to the mystery of evil.”
“A faith that can be destroyed by suffering is not faith.”
“There’s always a good reason to rejoice. There is a God in Heaven and in the heart. I had a piece of bread this morning. It was so good. Look now, the sun is shining. And so many here love me. Every day you do not rejoice is a day lost, my son.”
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Hebrews 5:8 — Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.
I Peter 4:16 — If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
Romans 12:12 — Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
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Psalm 31:14-15a:
I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands.
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