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Mary and I have often pondered the mystery of why so many thousands of people have accepted Jesus as their Savior while reading Prison to Praise. A “soul-winning” book explains God’s plan of salvation, our need for repentance and Jesus’ gift of eternal life, but the main emphasis in Prison to Praise is praise.
I was in a small motel, far from home, and quite fatigued after an exhausting speaking schedule in local churches and prisons. When I telephoned Mary late that night, she asked me if I knew what the next day would be.
“No, what is it? “Our anniversary.” Oh no, I thought, how could I have forgotten our anniversary? My first impulse was to cancel the rest of my speaking engagements and head for home, but I knew that would not please the Lord. So, I did my best to believe that God would use the entire situation for my good and for His glory.
The next day I awakened in my lonely, dreary motel room and for a few minutes indulged in self-pity. When I’m away from home I always have at least one meeting of some kind every day, but on this particular day there was nothing scheduled. I was too restless to relax and enjoy a day of prayer and fellowship with the Lord, so I went out for a walk. As I walked, I thought of how tired I felt and how much I wished I could be at home with Mary. The Lord put up with my thoughts for a while and then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. Mark this an extremely happy day. Praise God with all your heart and with everything in you. Those were my orders for the day! So, I set about praising Him. As I did, my steps quickened. My spirits rose higher and higher. Soon I knew that I was in exactly the right place at the right time.
The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, Since you were obedient, I will answer a question that you have been wondering about for many years. He began to explain why so many people accept Jesus as Savior while they are reading Prison to Praise. The Lord was showing me that praise to God melts man’s coldness of heart and stubborn resistance! Praise is like an electric heater directed into the freezer compartment of a refrigerator! The warm air melts the ice.
Think for a moment of a light switch – how turning it on brings light into a dark room. Praise to God seems to throw a switch within the human heart. Once that tiny switch of praise is turned on, God becomes more real. The reader has an opportunity to say, and feel, “Yes, God, I want You to rule in my life.”
And so, Prison to Praise has become a tool that many Christians use to win people to Christ. It reaches men and women who have rejected every previous soul-winning effort. Although they had rejected religion, they did not reject God when praise revealed Him as He is. God responds to praise because praise is the key to entering His presence! Once in His presence, we respond to His love.
To praise God is to delight in Him. Psalms 37:4 says,
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
I encourage you to use this simple tool that God has placed in our hands. Share Prison to Praise with as many people as possible. Use it to reach those who otherwise may never get close enough to God to know that He loves them. (Reprint from February 1992)