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Solitary Confinement
Richard Wurmbrand
Richard Wurmbrand (1909–2001). Born on March 24, 1909, in Bucharest, Romania, to a Jewish family, Richard Wurmbrand converted to Christianity in 1938 after meeting a German carpenter, Christian Wolfkes, in a remote village. Initially an atheist and businessman, he became an ordained Lutheran pastor, ministering in Romania’s underground church under Nazi and Communist regimes. Arrested in 1948 by the Communist government for his faith, he spent 14 years in prison, including three in solitary confinement, enduring torture for preaching Christ. Released in 1964 after a $10,000 ransom paid by Norwegian Christians, he and his wife, Sabina, who was also imprisoned, emigrated to the U.S. in 1966. In 1967, they founded Voice of the Martyrs (originally Jesus to the Communist World), advocating for persecuted Christians worldwide. Wurmbrand authored 18 books, including Tortured for Christ (1967), In God’s Underground (1968), and The Overcomers (1998), detailing his experiences and faith. A powerful speaker, he testified before the U.S. Senate, baring scars to highlight persecution. Married to Sabina from 1936 until her death in 2000, they had one son, Mihai, and he died on February 17, 2001, in Torrance, California. Wurmbrand said, “It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners, so it was understood that whoever was caught doing it got beaten—but we preached anyway.”
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Richard Wurmbrand shares his profound experiences during solitary confinement, where he found solace in meditating on Scripture and envisioning biblical scenes. Despite the harsh conditions and the effects of narcotics on his mind, he engaged in fervent prayer for the world and delivered sermons to God and the angels. His longing for his family and moments of despair highlighted the deep emotional struggles faced in isolation, yet his love for Jesus remained a constant prayer. Wurmbrand emphasizes the power of faith and the importance of prayer, even in the most desperate circumstances.
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My whole night I passed walking to and through through this cell, I didn't have shoes. Every night I began by meditating on the word of God, the verses which I remembered by heart. I meditated so much until from meditation I arrived to seeing the scenes about which the Bible speaks. I really saw Abraham with his candles and I saw Jesus surrounded by multitudes and preaching to them. I saw Saint Paul traveling. I saw the angels about whom the Bible speaks. Everything became a reality to me. Then I would pass hours praying, praying for the whole world. I traveled in my spirit from one country to another. Every night I would pray for America, for Britain, for Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France. I would pray for your churches, I would pray for your children, and I'm very sure that you pass a good time of your night praying for the prisoners in communist countries. Every night I would deliver a sermon. There was no visible audience, but I preached to God. I preached to the angels. They are also interested to know what I think and what I have to say. I would prepare a regular sermon and I would deliver it. Then I would sit down sometimes and out of a very primitive thing I had made a chess play and I would play chess with myself. And then again I would walk around, pray and speak to God. This for a time, but afterwards the narcotics which were put in our food had effect upon our minds and we could not really pray in the usual sense of the word anymore. It was one of the most desperate moments in my life when I tried one evening to say the Lord's prayer and I found out that I had forgotten it. I said, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, and I didn't know what follows. And then for a long time I prayed only so much, Jesus I love you, Jesus I love you. I think that is prayer enough. And then I could not concentrate my mind even on that and my only prayer would be the beating of a loving heart. Sometimes we would be taken by moments of despair. We had such a longing after our children, after our wives, that we would lose our minds and we would begin to bang at the door in the night. My son's name is Mihai, my wife's name is Betsy and they would cry, give me back Mihai, give me back Betsy, give me back, give me back.
Solitary Confinement
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Richard Wurmbrand (1909–2001). Born on March 24, 1909, in Bucharest, Romania, to a Jewish family, Richard Wurmbrand converted to Christianity in 1938 after meeting a German carpenter, Christian Wolfkes, in a remote village. Initially an atheist and businessman, he became an ordained Lutheran pastor, ministering in Romania’s underground church under Nazi and Communist regimes. Arrested in 1948 by the Communist government for his faith, he spent 14 years in prison, including three in solitary confinement, enduring torture for preaching Christ. Released in 1964 after a $10,000 ransom paid by Norwegian Christians, he and his wife, Sabina, who was also imprisoned, emigrated to the U.S. in 1966. In 1967, they founded Voice of the Martyrs (originally Jesus to the Communist World), advocating for persecuted Christians worldwide. Wurmbrand authored 18 books, including Tortured for Christ (1967), In God’s Underground (1968), and The Overcomers (1998), detailing his experiences and faith. A powerful speaker, he testified before the U.S. Senate, baring scars to highlight persecution. Married to Sabina from 1936 until her death in 2000, they had one son, Mihai, and he died on February 17, 2001, in Torrance, California. Wurmbrand said, “It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners, so it was understood that whoever was caught doing it got beaten—but we preached anyway.”