Lock Heng, a young native of Malaya, was a member of the Penang Flying Club. When war came to the Malay Peninsula, he and other members of the Club, were mobilized in an Auxiliary Flying Corps which operated against the Japanese.
When Singapore fell to the Japs, these native airmen were sent back to their homes. But the Japanese intelligence department eventually led to their arrest and solitary imprisonment.
Once in prison, it was not long before Lock Heng found that the man in the next cell was one of his old comrades. This neighbor soon devised a simple but highly efficient system of communication between the two. It consisted of tapping messages at the keyhole of the door separating the two cells—using the Morse Code. Arrangements were made to hold daily chats when no sentry was near.
One day Lock Heng's friend signaled to the effect that he was feeling depressed and did not want to talk. Now, it should be told, that although Lock Heng was a man of up-to-date interests, he was also a true Christian, so his coded reply to his "depressed" friend was: "If — depressed — pray — to — God."
Answer: "I — don't — know — what — you — mean. How — can — I — pray — in — this — place? To — whom — shall — I — pray?"
Lock Heng's Answer: "Pray — to — the — God — of — heaven — in the — name — of — Jesus — Christ. — Just tell — Him — what — you — feel. — He will — understand."
Reply: "I — do — not — know — how. — Please teach — me — to — pray."
So the young Christian taught his friend a simple prayer. Then little by little he tapped out with his fingers by the key hole God's way of salvation.
God did not shake the prison as He did in the days of Paul and Silas (Acts 16:2626And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. (Acts 16:26)), but by the same mighty power he caused the light of the gospel to enter that poor prisoner's conscience and heart. And the day came when within those terrible prison walls he accepted Christ as his Savior. He had found Him through the keyhole!
In answer to many prayers, after some months, release came. The day before their liberation a native preacher addressing his congregation used as his text the following verse: "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." Josh. 3:55And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. (Joshua 3:5).
The parents of the young prisoners claimed this promise, and true enough, on the morrow their sons were released.
Thus is the gospel spread. Not always by the eloquence of preaching, nor the printed word, nor by other well-known media, but sometimes by means hitherto unheard of. The channels vary, but the truth never alters: "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15:33For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3).
"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform."