Many of you will know the story of a woman who provided a “Hiding Place” for jews during the Second World War in the Netherlands. A woman who was subsequently arrested and sent to a German concentration camp. A woman who knew that amidst the troubles that beset her, the power of God was made manifest and the peace that passes understanding became an ever present reality. A woman named Corrie ten Boom.
There are three things that you will notice about her story:
1. The ten booms practically aided fellow resistors
2. Resisted against the hopelessness around them when they were in prison
3. Shared God’s faithfulness with others
Corrie ten Boom and her family were devoted Christians who dedicated their lives in service to their fellow man. Their home was always an "open house" for anyone in need. Through the decades the Ten Booms were very active in social work in Haarlem, in the Netherlands and their faith inspired them to serve the religious community and society at large.
During the Second World War, the Ten Boom home became a refuge, a hiding place, for fugitives and those hunted by the Nazis. By protecting these people, Casper and his daughters, Corrie and Betsie, risked their lives. This non-violent resistance against the Nazi-oppressors was the Ten Booms' way of living out their Christian faith. This faith led them to hide Jews, students who refused to cooperate with the Nazis, and members of the Dutch underground resistance movement.
On February 28, 1944, this family was betrayed and the Gestapo (the Nazi secret police) raided their home. Casper, Corrie and Betsie were all arrested and imprisoned. Corrie’s brother Willem, sister Nollie, and nephew Peter were at the house that day, and were also taken to prison.
Although the Gestapo systematically searched the house, they could not find what they sought most. They suspected Jews were in the house, but the Jews were safely hidden behind a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom. In this "hiding place" were two Jewish men, two Jewish women and two members of the Dutch underground.
Although the house remained under guard, the Resistance was able to liberate the refugees 47 hours later. The six people had managed to stay quiet in their cramped, dark hiding place for all that time, even though they had no water and very little food. The four Jews were taken to new "safe houses," and three survived the war.
Four Ten Booms gave their lives for this family’s commitment, but Corrie came home from the death camp. She realized her life was a gift from God, and she needed to share what she and Betsy had learned in Ravensbruck: "There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still" and "God will give us the love to be able to forgive our enemies."
I propose that each of us are at one stage of Resistance:
1. Aiding other resistors
2. Resisting against the hopelessness around us
3. Sharing God’s faithfulness with others
In other words, we are either pulling others out of the lion’s den, we are in there ourselves, or making God’s glory known after he has pulled us out of the pit.
God did not deliver Corrie ten Boom from the trials and tribulations that are the lot of every Christian in this world of sin, but He kept her and preserved her in the midst of terrifying circumstances.
In one of her many books, Corrie wrote, “Looking back across the years of my life, I can see the working of a divine pattern which is the way of God with His children. When I was in a prison camp in Holland during the war, I often prayed, Lord, never let the enemy put me in a German concentration camp. God answered no to that prayer. Yet in the German camp with all its horror, I found many prisoners who had never heard of Jesus Christ. If God had not used my sister Betsie and me to bring them to Him, they would never have heard of Him. Many died, or were killed, but many died with the name of Jesus on their lips”.
(Heidi Rulfs)
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