Corrie Ten Boon became a victim of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WWII. She and her family were confined to a Nazi concentration camp for hiding fugitives, and she was the only one who survived.
Later in life she wrote about the terrible conditions of the concentration camp, as soldiers sought to destroy her sanity and identity. She didn’t give in easily, and focused on the few things she could control in her mind and soul.
These, the Nazis could not take away without her permission. She focused on where she could be strengthened spiritually and emotionally. She smuggled a Bible into the camp and read it regularly, memorizing key verses.
Corrie learned, in Word and prayer, to trust God in new ways, and lean on him more than her own understanding.
She continually reminded herself that God is good all the time, and trustworthy even if she remained imprisoned. She practiced the discipline of placing her fears, hurts, dreams, and what little she possessed into his perfectly caring hands. And then, she later wrote,
“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that, I still possess.”
God is much more skilled at handling your problems and possessions than you are. Do you give him permission to do that? Or are you grabbing the controls because you just don’t trust him to do things his way?
“For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done” (Psalm 92:4).
His hands formed you. His hands stretched wide enough, when crucified, to embrace your sins into his heart of grace and forgive them all. His hands are strong and loaded with gifts he is just waiting to give to you … as you unload a few more things from your hands.
PRAYER: Dear faithful God, I need to place everything in your hands, not just the things that I don’t really care about. I want to appreciate even more your loving, powerful care and trust you to handle my life better than I can. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Read Psalm 143 today. Take your time. Pause and say a brief prayer when a particular word or phrase catch your attention. God has things he wants to tell you here. Enjoy spending this time with him.