A Challenge From the Past

Most Wednesday lunchtimes I take a walk from my office into town. Before reaching the town centre there is a small hill known as ‘Castle Mound’. Many years ago, there was a castle on this site, built overlooking the town and river. Each Wednesday for 30 minutes this mound becomes a place of prayer. A small group of Christians from many churches gather. As we pray for the present and the future of our town, I often look around and I think of the past. I’m grateful to God for the strong Christian heritage and the significant spiritual things that happened so close to where I’m standing.

A few meters from the mound is situated ‘The Bunyan Museum’, a fascinating place which tells the story of John Bunyan, probably Bedford’s most famous resident.

Bunyan was a tinker by trade. He had a powerful experience of salvation and began to preach God’s Word with a passion and to pray freely. During the times he lived in, it was illegal to preach unless you were part of the established Church of England and prayers had to be read from a liturgy.  As a non-conformist Bunyan was breaking the law, his actions were considered a political act. He spent 12 years in prison over 2 periods of time for preaching God’s word. The original prison was located a short distance from the mound, although the prison today has moved location. Bunyan is best remembered for his writing, producing many books. His most famous being Pilgrim’s Progress – a powerful allegorical story of Christian and his faith journey to the Celestial City. This book has a place in the history of the English novel and has been translated into hundreds of languages. It has been used as an evangelistic tool in places where bibles aren’t allowed and has been instrumental in many coming to Jesus.

It was during his time in prison that Bunyan did much of his writing. Pilgrim’s progress was begun whilst he was there. I’m sure he didn’t have an inkling of the legacy he would leave with his writings. I think of his life full of difficulties. His attitude challenges me. There are times when I long for a peaceful place to write akin to Colin Firth’s lakeside retreat in ‘Love Actually’ - yet Bunyan had only a small cell in a dirty prison to pen some of his finest works. He is not the only one to write important works from prison, as we see from the letters of the apostle Paul. It emphasises to me that God can work through our gift whatever situation we are in. Maybe some of you feel in a prison of a different sort today. It could be that God wants to open a door for you where you are, to inspire your creative juices for putting pen to paper.

Bio

Meryl McKean loves writing devotionals and poems and has had a few articles published over the years as well as using her writing in her work. She wants her writing to be a tool which helps others draw closer to God. She is married to Andy and lives in Bedford. Her day job as a member of her church staff leadership team is full of challenges and opportunities.