I've been reading Corrie ten Boom lately. I guess her most famous writing is "The Hiding Place." Her and her family hid Jews in their Holland home during Hitler's reign of terror during World War II. They paid dearly for this ministry, being subject to the horrors of his concentration camps. Her father and sister never came out of the camps.
But the faith Corrie shows is amazing and encouraging. Reading biographies and writings of these saints of old is a great way to strengthen and build up our own faith. After reading this I feel the stirrings to go further and deeper with the Lord. Boldness rises up in my heart. I highly recommend reading hers and others believers stories.
Through all the horror this mighty woman of God went through she prayed for the Lord to use her in it, to fulfill His purpose in her life and her suffering. One prayer that struck me in "A Prisoner and Yet" was written when she was in the infamous Ravensbruck concentration camp. Torture, torment, starvation, abuse, and death were daily parts of life for these prisoners. And yet in this darkness, Corrie served her Lord. After her sister Betsie succumbed in the camps, Corrie's own grief from the loss battled with her joy over her sister being home with the Lord.
She prayed: "Teach me, Lord to bear the burden, in this dark and weary day. Let me not complain to others of a hard and lonely way. Every storm to Thee is subject, storms of earth, or mind and heart. Only to Thy will submitting, can to me Thy peace impart. So to suffer, so keep silence, so be yielded to Thy will. So in weakness learn Thy power--teach me, Father teach me still."
What a powerful submitting to the Lord. What an example for us. Oh, the things I complain about and think of as difficulties! I am convicted! Lord, teach me to submit...to not see my small inconveniences as something to consume or derail me. But let me see them as opportunities for Your service and Your glory! Let me see them as framed pictures of Your strength and purpose and love to show and share with those around me!
And then there is the true hardship, the things that turn our worlds upside down and throw us into the tempest. In her other book "In My Father's House," she quoted her father as saying, "When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight! When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through life. When Jesus leads you through life, He brings you safely home." Powerful words to remember when life's problems and sadness seek to swallow us whole. John 10:27-30 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No on can snatch them away from Me, for my Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one. Jesus's hand will never let go of us. If you belong to Jesus you can remain in peace even through the tears of life. You are safe in His hands.
There are some things that seem to rip your very heart and soul apart. I've felt that deep darkness of grief's abyss where is feels like pain screams and you fall endlessly into it. But I also know that the Lord has brought me to the other side of that blackness. It's been a long process. And the abyss is still with me because even though the Lord has given me healing and peace, it is part of who I am. I can still touch it and open it...but the Lord now uses it for His purpose. It doesn't consume me with its despair but instead it brings compassion for others who suffer. The Lord uses it to be a blessing. How amazing and wonderful is He!
I know things can be extremely hard and horribly painful. But that doesn't mean that God has let go. If we let Him, He will bring beauty from ashes, use all things in our lives for His good purpose and our blessing, and He will defeat every scheme of the enemy. It's our job to continue clinging to His promises. Let us remember: Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Lord, thank You for those who have gone before us and those around us now that show us how to triumph through tragedy and suffering. Tomorrow is Good Friday and that is the ultimate example of victory over unimaginable suffering and seeming defeat. Help us to cling to that hope, the hope that "Sunday is coming." If You defeated sin and death, surely You will take us to victory and lead us safely home through life's wearying ways. Help us to submit to You all things, but especially our hearts. Remind us that You never leave us, that You suffer with us and that You will bring good from all that touches our lives as we believe and trust in You. Lord, forgive my complaining. Forgive my getting my eyes of You and my faithlessness. Thank You for the Resurrection. It is our hope and our promise. In our Savior's Name. Amen.
Start reading (or watching movies) about those who have gone before us in the Lord. Let them encourage your faith.
Have a blessed and happy Resurrection Day!
And to those who have stumbled upon this page and don't know our Savior Jesus Christ, I share the Gospel with you.
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.
Yes, we are all sinners, messed up, prideful, selfish, etc....being a "good person" is not enough. God's Word tells us in Romans 3:10 As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous--not even one."
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Heaven is real. Hell is real. Being outside of God's family when you die will be eternal Hell, despair, desperation, pain, suffering reign there. Being adopted as His child will bring eternal peace, joy, fulfillment in Heaven.
Romans 5:8 But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were sinners.
Not all roads lead to God. There is only one, Jesus, the way the truth and the life. But doesn't that make it easier? There is no question as to the way to Heaven. There is only the one narrow path. We can be sure of our salvation when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. There's no weighing of scales, "Did I do enough good to outweigh my bad?"
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
We don't have to make up our own way, we don't earn this gift of salvation...God took care of the how!
Romans 10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. God provides the way, we don't get to make it up for ourselves.
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. It is finished! When you accept Him as your Savior, you have passed from death to life. (spiritually speaking). Now it time to start your journey with Him through getting into a good Bible teaching, believing church where you can learn and grow and have fellowship with other believers who can help and encourage you. And get a good Bible that you can understand easily. There are programs on line like Bible Gateway if you can't get a physical copy.
Lord, open hearts to Your salvation and Your love. You created us to fellowship with You, to belong to You, to be loved and cherished by You. You are a safe Father, a good King, and desire only good for us.
John 3:16-17 For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.
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