The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

• Proverbs 10:29

“In Holland, on May 10, 1942, just a few minutes before the 8:00 p.m. curfew, a woman knocked on our door. I ran downstairs and opened the door.
“’Can I come in?’ the woman asked in a voice filled with fear. I stepped back to allow her in. ‘Of course.’
“’My name is Mrs. Kleermaker. I’m a Jew.’
“The Gestapo had arrested her husband, and she was desperate for a place to hide. Mrs. Kleermaker had heard that we befriended Jews. I invited her in and introduced her to my father and sister.
“’In this household,’ Father said, ‘God’s people are always welcome.’
“’We have four empty beds upstairs,’ Betsie said. ‘Your problem will be choosing which one to sleep in.’
“Two nights later, the same scene was repeated. …
“I was also introduced to a frail little man who said, ‘I’m informed that your headquarters building lacks a secret room. This is a danger for all, those you are helping as well as yourselves and those who work with you. With your permission, I will pay you a visit.’
“I later learned that he was one of the most famous architects in Europe. When he came to our home, he offered to build us a proper hiding place that no Gestapo would ever discover. Each day, something happened that revealed God’s intention for my life. At 51 years of age, although I had no knowledge of how to lead an operation that housed and protected Jews, God called me anyway. He did not think I was too old to start something new and important. He only looked at my heart. When we are willing and obedient, He bestows upon us the wisdom, strength and courage of heaven. We are never too old to begin something new when we do it with Him’ ”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place

“I am never too old to begin something new with God.”

• Corrie ten Boom, Highlighted Quote

Boilerplate

In this new mini-series, I will be looking at a devotion that is said to be written by Corrie ten Boom.  Really, this devotion is like several that I had read.  They come from the writings of that person.  Thus, the prayers at the end may be the editor’s addition to what Corrie ten Boom actually wrote.

Each of these posts will include the suggested verses to read, a quote from the writing that came from a Corrie ten Boom book (five in all according to the copyright page, but no chapter in the book is given the specific book of origin).  I will also include the highlighted quote, similar to an internet quotation, and I will end with the quoted prayer for that devotion.

Discussion

Tante Corrie focused on herself being in her fifties, but the old architect was not a spring chicken.

In the gap between hiding the first Jew, Mrs. Kleermaker, and meeting the architect, Corrie ten Boom joined the resistance.  At the first meeting that she attended, she was introduced as the “leader of an organization of vital importance.”

Tante Corrie had no idea that she was involved in an “organization,” much less that she was a leader.  She knew nothing about leading.  She knew nothing about setting up an organization.  All she had was extra beds upstairs and a niche beneath the stairs.

She felt ill-prepared for either role: leader or organization.

But think of the providence of God.

Tante Corrie was raised in a loving home.  No one who came to the shop was a stranger.  My late wife, having been raised in a Dutch home, had a similar attitude.  Strangers were simply friends they had not met yet.

Then, the occupation led to the persecution of the Jews, and a Jewish woman remembered how friendly the atmosphere was in the ten Boom household.  Mrs. Kleermaker could not think of any place else to hide.

It would be a terrible risk for the word to spread that safety could be found in the home of the ten Boom family, but the Jews learned where to go.  When Corrie and her family were caught, it was Corrie trying to help a stranger who betrayed the “organization.”  The stranger was a quisling.

But the niche beneath the stairs would possibly be the first place the Gestapo would check.  The providence of God extended to a famous architect just happening to be there and volunteering to help the resistance.

When I read this devotion, I was reminded of God’s call to write this blog.  I had only read one blog in my life up until that point.  I had no idea what I was getting into, but the words kept getting repeated in my mind.

The prayer below gives what our response should be when God calls us.  Grasp hold of God’s hand, for in Him we have the strength.  Then, we step in time with God, and we draw the courage from Him.

Closing Prayer

“Father, Your ways are much higher than mine. I will not try to figure out things that must be accepted by faith. When You call me to do Your will, I will simply believe. I will hold Your hand, step in time with You and draw from Your courage. You will cause me to prosper in all I set my hand to, regardless of my age, schooling or ability because You are the wisdom inside of me.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place (prayer for Day 24, Never Too Old)

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.