Lok Heng, a 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 Japanese, these native airmen were sent back to their homes. But the efforts of the Japanese intelligence department eventually led to their arrest and imprisonment.
Once in prison, it was not long before Lok Heng found that the man in the next cell was one of his old comrades. This neighbor soon developed a simple but highly effective 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 talks when no guard was near.
One day Lok Heng’s friend signalled that he was feeling depressed and did not want to talk. Now, Lok Heng was 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?”
Lok Heng’s answer was: “Pray—to—the—God—of—heaven—in—the—name—of—Jesus—Christ.—Just—tell—what—you—feel.—He—will—understand.”
The reply was: “I—do—not—know—how.—Please—teach—me—to—pray.”
So the Christian taught his friend a simple prayer. Then little by little he tapped out with his fingers 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 His mighty power He caused the light of the gospel to enter that poor prisoner’s conscience and heart. Within those terrible prison walls came the day when he accepted Christ as his Saviour. He had found Him through the keyhole!
Some months later a native preacher speaking to his congregation used as his text the following verse: Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. (Joshua 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 two prisoners were listening. They had prayed many prayers for their sons’ release; now they felt the answer was at hand. Sure enough, on the next day their sons were released!
So the gospel is spread. Not always by the eloquence of preaching, nor the printed word, nor by any other well-known medium, but sometimes by a means unheard of before. The channels vary, but the truth never alters: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 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).)
“The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth,
and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”