IT WAS a warm summer evening in China. The flame of a smoky lamp cast tall flickering shadows on the wall as four heads were bent solemnly over a Chinese Bible. They were reading aloud the story of Peter's escape from prison, as recorded in the twelfth chapter of Acts.
Unknown to them, a young boy from the street, a little Chinese lad, crept in through the open door and crouched in the shadows, listening. The story interested him greatly. He listened until he heard that Peter was safely at the house of John Mark, and then he slipped away into the darkness unnoticed.
Years passed. The little boy grew and married. He became a Chinese bandit, a terror to his wife and children, a thief and an opium-smoker, and a burden to his own unhappy self.
Then came a day when the soldiers caught him, along with a number of others. They were bound with rusty chains and thrust into a cave, waiting in darkness and hunger, for the day of their execution. The only sounds to be heard were the groans of his companions and the clanking of their horrible chains.
As the slow hours passed, there came back to the man's soul the memory of that summer evening long ago, when he heard of the God who could open prison doors. And right there in his desperate need he called upon the name of the Lord. He believed that since the Lord Jesus had delivered Peter from prison He could deliver him too. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10: 13.
There in the darkness of the cave, the poor thief prayed. "Jesus," he said, "save me from this prison as You saved the man I heard about when I was a boy."
He repeated this prayer many times until the plight of his poor fellow-sufferers began to press upon his soul. Then he changed his prayer like this, "Jesus, perhaps it would not be right to save just me. We are all afraid of dying. Save these men with me, I pray thee!"
Soon other difficulties presented themselves to him. His home was many miles away, and he was a well-known bandit. Surely he would be slain along the way. "Jesus," he prayed, "please tell the judge to give us a 'safe-conduct' to our homes."
Then, as he looked forward to a safe journey over the hills to his home, the need of food began to trouble him. Surely they would all die of starvation along the way! "0 Jesus," he prayed, "when You have told the judge to give us liberty, please incline his heart to give us money for the journey, that we perish not by the way!"
Happy soul! How much more he had learned in that dark cave than many of us learn during years in the light of a Christian land. Salvation for ourselves and for others ! Grace and strength for each step of the way home! Do you think that his faith was disappointed? No! for God delights to hear the prayer of faith.