Courage - Daring to Speak Out

In 1950 Communist forces in Romania convened a gathering known as the Congress of the Cults. One by one, church leaders agreed to the Communist demands. They would not seek to spread their Christian faith. All members of congregations would be made known to the authorities. Other demands were also agreed to. 

One man, Richard Wurmbrand, refused to comply. His wife, Sabina, had said to him the previous night, "I don't want a husband who is a coward."Together they had been preaching to a Lutheran congregation. He had a special place in his heart for Jews, and he spent much time sharing his Christian faith with Red Army soldiers, who were backed by Moscow. 

Refusing to submit, he spoke on the radio. Other ministers had given in to the Communists, but Wurmbrand explained that he would never change the Gospel's message. Sabina whispered to her husband, "They are spitting in the face of Christ. Will you not speak up?" 

The next ten minutes cost Wurmbrand 14 years in prison. He was sentenced to jail and spent years in solitary confinement. He had a prodigious memory, and later he could preach any one of the 350 sermons he composed during that period of silence and total darkness.  

Sabina suffered too. She was forced to work on constructing a canal to enable traffic between the Black Sea and the Danube River. 

At one time or another, all of us will face a critical moment. We'll have to define our foundational values. May each of us have the power of the Holy Spirit to be a faithful witness when our moment comes to speak what is at the bottom of our hearts!