Atheists do not acknowledge the invisible sources of their life. They have no sense for what is mystery in the universe and in life. Christians can help them best by walking themselves not by sight, but by faith, leading a life of fellowship with the invisible God.
Western Christians can help by praying for the communists that they may be saved. Such a prayer may seem naive. We prayed for the communists, and they tortured us the next day. But the prayer of the Lord of Jerusalem was also “naive.” They crucified Him after this prayer. But only a few days later, they beat their breasts and five thousand were converted in one day.
For the others, too, the prayer was not lost. Fulfilling the word of Christ, many other Christians and I always prayed for Hitler and his men. And I am sure that our prayer helped to defeat him as much as the bullets of the allied soldiers.
We have to love our neighbours as ourselves. Communists and other persecutors are our neighbours as much as anyone else.
I am not so naive as to believe that love alone can solve these problems. I would not advise the authorities of a state to solve the problem of gangsterism only by love. There must be a police force, judges and prisons for gangsters–not just pastors. But the pastor and the individual Christian have to do their best to bring the communist and other persecutor to Christ. We have to pray for them with understanding.
Excerpted and edited by VOM staff from Richard Wurmbrand’s Tortured for Christ, available through VOM.
The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in the mid-1960s by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned and tortured by Communist authorities in his native Romania for 14 years. While still in prison, Pastor Wurmbrand envisioned a ministry that would focus on the plight of the persecuted Church, raise a voice on their behalf, and provide encouragement and assistance to them.
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