Triumphant Grace

Last weekend, Sue and I attended an antique and collectors' fair at Keddlestone Hall, Derbyshire. As I was browsing the contents of one of the stalls, I came across an old photo-postcard which has the image of "Alan Benson, Missionary to North China". The postcard had been signed by Alan Benson. There was a pin-prick at the top of the card, perhaps indicating that at one time a prayer supporter of the missionary had pinned it on a wall or board. I paid the requested £2 and determined that when I got home I would try to discover more about Alan Benson.

The internet was the obvious source for information, and I duly discovered a rather remarkable story...

Alan Benson did indeed serve as a missionary in China. In August 1940 he was arrested by the invading Japanese army, and accused of being a spy. He was presented with a written confession, but he refused to sign it as it was not true. He also knew that if he confessed to being a spy it would implicate others. Benson was therefore subjected by his captors to horrendous torture in order to try and extract a confession from him. He prayed for “grace and strength”; Psalm 71:1 became his constant prayer, 'In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.'

For seven weeks, twelve hours per day he was tortured, and suffered the most terrible abuse. Continually his captors would yell at him “confess, confess, confess!” Remarkably, he prayed for his torturers, telling them that he could not hate them, but that “I will pray for you each night that God will have mercy on you and pardon your sins and lead you to the Saviour.”

Even when he was not being tortured, he found it very difficult to sleep because of the pain he was suffering. On one occasion he asked God to remove the pain. When he rose from his knees he discovered that the pain had gone, and he danced around his cell in celebration!

After seven weeks, the torture came to and end. He was placed in a cell with some Chinese prisoners. They were all instructed to sit facing the wall and not to talk to each other. Nevertheless, Benson did get some opportunities to communicate with his fellow prisoners, and led several to Christ!

His wife had managed to get a Bible to him, and another verse which became special was Psalm 142:7, 'Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.' He was eventually freed, and he wrote a booklet, “Grace Triumphant”, in which he outlined his experiences. In summarising, he wrote, “Looking back over it all, I can truthfully say that it has been worth it all, and in and through it all God has surely been glorified and his 'triumphant grace' has carried me through every trial and testing.”

Alan Benson died in 1998. A remarkable man. I am so pleased that I discovered the postcard and thus revealed this fascinating and inspiring account.