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.

Why suffering?

I was tremendously blessed this week to take part in a service of thanksgiving for the life of a church member called Agnes. Agnes was aged 87 when she died, but the crematorium was packed out. There was, quite literally, standing room only, as many came to give thanks for and celebrate Agnes’ life. One aspect of her life which was revealed was that her Christian faith developed considerably through attending an Alpha course. Alpha is a course which helps people look at aspects of Christian faith, and is used in many parts of the world.

One of the key elements of Alpha is the opportunity to ask questions. A book, called “Searching Issues” has been published which addresses 7 of the most commonly asked questions on Alpha course. Perhaps not surprisingly, the first chapter deals with the whole subject of suffering. Basically put, the question often goes something like this: “If there is a loving God, who is all-powerful, why does he allow suffering in the world?” This is not a new question, it’s been around for thousands of years (try reading the Old Testament book of Job, or some of the Psalms, for example). I guess that the recent horrific events in Haiti will have raised the question of suffering in many minds. So how can Christians begin to address the question?

I have taken the plunge and decided that I will preach on the issue of suffering this coming Sunday! Obviously I can’t relate everything I am going to say on Sunday here in this blog entry, but perhaps a few initial observations.

Firstly, a reminder of what Paul says in his first letter to the church in Corinth: ‘We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us.’ In other words, big questions like suffering will never be fully answered in this life.

Secondly, there is a danger of hypocrisy in our condemnation of God’s apparent inaction. I have read one estimate that the number of deaths in the Haitian earthquake may be as high as 200,000. Compare that, then with a UN report produced in 2003 which estimated that around 25,000 people die each day through starvation. Or the startling fact that some 5,000 children die each day because of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. If we are to start wagging our fingers at God, complaining about suffering caused by the Haitian earthquake, God might with good cause ask us how we are responding to the terrible suffering already taking place in the world.

The third point I would want to make arises out my personal experience of life as a Methodist minister over some 20 years. This is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a general observation. And that is that often the “why suffering” question is more to the forefront in the minds of those who observe suffering than in the minds of those who experience it. I have come across some amazing people over the years who have suffered greatly in many ways, not least physically, but whose lives and faith have been radiant. I remember, for example, a lady called Elsie, whose body was racked with pain, yet who never ceased to thank God for his continued blessings; a visit to Elsie always lifted my spirits!.

There are no easy answers to big questions like that of suffering. But I believe that there are some things we can say. The rest will have to wait until Sunday!