God answers prayer | Encouragement from Psalms (WebTV #572)

Our world is in turmoil and distress. Millions of people are in distress. I want to give you a word of comfort from Psalms. When I was in prison for Bible smuggling, I was not allowed to read my Bible. Months after my sentence, I was able to 'smuggle' it into my cell. I was desperate to read God's Word. After nine months without it, where would I start to read? After a few moments I decided to start with David in the Psalms, not normally my favourite book, I prefer the action movie bits. Soon I came to Psalm 35.18 where David says, ‘I will give God thanks in the great congregation.’ Instantly I knew, this was God’s written confirmation of my night vision, that I would be out of the prison and speaking in the Easter Convention in the Royal Albert Hall in London – it had to be, that was the only really big convention I knew. My heart was full of joy at the thought. Then, just a few days later, cheekily I realised that my birthday came four days before Easter that next year. So I began to pray, if You Lord can work such a big miracle that I can go home after only one year, why not send me home on my birthday? Boldy I prayed, Lord if You will give me my request to be home for my birthday, then show me another verse from the Psalms where You speak of a prisoner being released from chains. I read on anxiously – until I came to Psalm 68.6, God sets the solitary in families; He brings out the prisoner in chains. I could hardly contain my joy! Home for my birthday! God had confirmed it in writing. But faith does not come easily. I was in a labour camp, and one day, working at my bench I just fell apart. Surrounded by a cacophony of strange languages – the lack of food and the desperation of the whole prison got to me. And I collapsed. Some of the other prisoners helped me back to my cell and my bed, but it was obvious that I needed medical help. A German medical student, who was in the same cell as me, helped me to the medical room in the prison. They suspected a heart attack and took an ECG, but not being qualified in medical care, they couldn’t read it; my fellow prisoner looked at it and suspected a problem with my heart valves. The prison officers simply gave me some tablets and sent me back to my cell. Now I was in spiritual agony; my faith had failed! I was convinced I wouldn’t have had a panic attack if my faith had held firm… I cried out to the Lord, and pleaded with Him, forgive me, don’t let me lose Your promise to release me because my faith has failed. God is a loving Father and understands our frailty. It was only a few weeks after this when one of the guards called me out from my work bench. Why was I telling other prisoners that I would be released? He showed me the 7-metre-high walls, the gun towers, the dogs and the electric fences. The only way out of here, he said, is in a wooden box. He meant a coffin. I went back to my workplace, put my face in my hands and wept in despair. This was the day before my birthday, God had given me a promise, but it this was now impossible. Was this because my faith had failed? Then the Lord spoke to me, He said, “How do you know that you’re a Christian?” My reply to Him was a rebuke, “Why do you ask me this? I’m an evangelist! I know better than anyone, my salvation is not based on emotion or feelings, it’s based on Your promises, in Your Word. The Bible says whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” He answered me, “Did I not promise you in My Word that you would be released on your birthday, tomorrow?” By now literally only twenty minutes had passed. Suddenly the same officer who had said so strongly, you cannot get out, was calling my name. As usual I ignored him because he didn’t speak English, and I was upset with him. He persisted in calling me until I acknowledged him. He said, “I’ve just had a message from the government, you’re to be released immediately.” It was the very same officer who had just shown me it was impossible to get out. Later as I entered the plane, I was met by a newspaper reporter who held out his hand and said, “Hathaway, I believe.” Then Harold Wilson came and made me sit in First Class with him, so that I wouldn’t tell my story to the press first. He was very kind to me and even bought a present for my wife. He explained he had flown from London specially to release me. He said his wife was a Methodist but that he wasn’t a Christian. He said he’d helped some Jews before, but he didn’t know why he’d rescued me. I knew why of course: God used a man who twice served as British Prime Minister to answer prayer. What an amazing God we have. He communicates with us! He not only answers prayer, but He confirms His promises in writing. He did this with my throat cancer, and now with my release from prison – which was exactly on the day He promised me – on my 41st birthday, April 17, 1973. The newspapers were full of it. How perfect God is! If only we would trust Him more!