In Prison For God

David Roach, in an article titled “After 17 Years in a Chinese Prison, Missionary David Lin Is Free,” writes  about a Christian missionary named David Lin who “walked into a police station in Beijing, believing he was responding to a routine request. He would not walk out again as a free man for nearly two decades. The Chinese government accused him of fraud, tried him in a court that could not acquit him, and sentenced him to life in prison. For seventeen years, David Lin lived behind bars—malnourished, weakened by illness, cut off from his family, stripped of freedom and control.

From the outside, his story looked like pure loss. Years stolen. A wife left to survive alone. A daughter growing up without her father. And yet David Lin refused to interpret his suffering as accidental. He later said, “Without God’s permission, I cannot go to prison. Without God’s permission, I cannot come out.” For Lin, God’s sovereignty was not a doctrine for textbooks—it was the only way to survive a cell.

Inside prison, he prayed daily. When Bibles were taken away, he memorized Scripture. When fellow inmates were desperate, he listened. At one point, he hand-copied portions of the New Testament so others could read God’s Word. Guards noticed that wherever Lin was placed, violence dropped. Prison officials began moving him from cell to cell because his presence changed the atmosphere. Hardened men softened. Some came to faith. Others later led Bible studies themselves.

On the outside, nothing looked like progress. But God was ruling quietly. Laws shifted. Advocates emerged. Prayers accumulated—year after year, unseen. And then, at exactly the right moment David Lin was released in a prisoner exchange and reunited with his family.”

His story serves as a poignant reminder that regardless of our current circumstances, God has a purpose for us. No place is deemed useless by God. While you may not be in a prison right now, you might find yourself in a challenging, unjust, or undesirable situation. Regardless of the circumstances, let it become a place of ministry and learning until God intervenes or delivers you. Remember, every place can be a ministry opportunity!

Prayer Gathering this Wednesday… Remember we will gather in the worship center here at Ridgecrest this Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM for a special community prayer emphasis for The National Day of Prayer. All other activities will be cancelled so that our entire focus can be on praying for our nation. And remember, God is always trying to take us someplace new. I love being your Pastor!

For God’s Glory Alone,

Pastor Ray

Image credit: Unsplash