When Vietnam fell to the Communists in 1975, a man who subsequently became well known as Cardinal Văn Thuận was arrested and sentenced to spend the next thirteen years in prison, nine of them in the agonising loneliness and isolation of solitary confinement. But Văn Thuận came to a place of inner peace. ‘I have spoken so many words in the course of my life, Jesus,’ he said; ‘now it is Your turn to talk to me.’ And the Lord came alongside and did just that!

Sympathetic guards smuggled in scraps of paper, on which this prisoner wrote a thousand brief prayers, which subsequently found their way out of the prison to be distributed amongst the Vietnamese community. Later they were published as ‘The Road of Hope,’ and ‘Prayers of Hope’ – books that have been read all over the world. ‘Love,’ wrote Văn Thuận, ‘can do all things.’

Thirteen years is so long! Think of all you have done in your last thirteen years, and all the places that you have been able to visit, and praise God for His great faithfulness to His servant through that long Gethsemane season. Praise God, too, for the honour in which the Pope came to hold him, inviting him to lead a retreat for himself and his curia in the Vatican at the turn of the Millennium. And praise God for so many equally faithful men and women in Vietnam, China and, indeed, throughout the world: those who were faithful ‘even unto death’ and who now wear the crown life. (Rev. 2:10)

Lord Jesus, for Your own precious glory, please bring Your hope close to all who are going through Gethsemane times today we pray, whether inside or outside prison walls. Especially we remember the many believers in Iran, who are cut off in every way from their brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, under relentless pressure from their own government, and who have been in mortal danger from American and Israeli bombing. Lord, remember them. May they know that they are Yours, and that we are praying for them now, as millions around the world prepare for Easter.

May the Lord Jesus be with all who are going through agonising times, helping them to identify ever more closely with His heart, and preparing them to be with Him in glory.

To help us pray, may I encourage you to visit Spirit of Prayer Part 2 on our website, and go to track 13: ‘Gethsemane’. The reason for going by this indirect route, apart from being able to appreciate Sally’s artistry, is because it in turn leads on to the next track: ‘Times of Pressure,’ and to other lovely ones beyond that.

But here is a direct link to the Gethsemane track, set to Linda Louisa Entwistle’s beautiful music, in case you would like to pass this webpage on to others.