Corrie ten Boom, Her Story (continued)
17. Joy? Is That Possible?
THE WORST PRISON I have ever seen was in another area of Africa. The building was too small for all the prisoners. Only half of them could go inside the building at night; the rest had to stay outside.
During the day they were all kept crammed together in the dirty compound in front of the prison. There had been a tropical rainstorm, and the ground was one large pool of mud. I saw that some men had branches on which they were sitting. Some had small pieces of paper, and others had little shelves. They had all struggled to find something to sit on. Everything was dark and black, but the darkest was the expression of their faces.
I often pray at the same time I am speaking, saying one thing to the Lord and another to the people who are listening to my talk. On this day I said, "Lord, give me a message for these men that will help them in this very difficult place where they live."
The answer from the Lord was, "What is the fruit of the Spirit?" I knew it: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.
See Galatians 5:22 Rsv
Then the Lord said, "Speak about joy."
"Lord, how can I speak about joy to these people who live in this terrible place?" The answer was, "My Holy. Spirit is here in this place, and the fruit of the Spirit is available wherever you are."
JESUS IS VICTOR 411
Then I remembered that when I had been in prison I had found joy even in the midst of the most desperate surroundings. When we are powerless to do a thing, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus.
"Lord," I said, "You are able to give joy." Then I heard myself giving a very happy message. The faces of the men lit up when I told them that the joy of the Lord can be our strength, even when we are in very difficult circumstances.
The only thing necessary to begin moving into the joy of the Lord is to tell Jesus Christ that you would like to be His follower. "Receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, and He will give you the joy," I said.
Many did. I could see it in their faces. But I also saw faces of people who were not ready or willing. They remained just as dark and unhappy as before.
I said to them,, "Fellows, I can understand that you think such joy is not possible for you when you are in this prison, but I can tell you that I was in a prison far worse than yours, where only twenty percent of us came out alive. The rest all starved or were killed in a cruel way. But the Lord Jesus was with us. His Holy
Spirit was in our hearts, and there was often a great joy.
"There is joy for you, too, but you must be at peace with God and man—that is possible! When you confess your sins to the Lord, He is faithful and just, and He forgives you. He removes your sins, He cleanses your heart, and He fills you with the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is joy."
Finally I asked, "Who is willing to receive Jesus Christ? Raise your hand."
All the prisoners did, and even the guards who were there did, too! Now, when everyone raises his hand to accept Jesus Christ, then I do not always trust it, but I looked into their faces and saw that this time it was real for all of them.
When I went to the car to leave for the next place, all the men and the guards accompanied me to the street. They were standing around the car, shouting something which I could not understand. I asked the missionary who was with me, "What are these men saying?"
She smiled and said, "They are shouting, 'Come again, old woman. Come again and tell us more about Jesus.'"
I was so glad! You know, I had to leave, but the Lord stayed with these men, and the Holy Spirit filled their hearts. It is true that when you lay your weak hand in the strong hand of Jesus, He keeps you from falling and never leaves you alone.