“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Corrie ten Boom had reason to fear. Her peace-loving country of Holland was attacked and overrun by Hitler. Shortly thereafter, young Dutch men mysteriously disappeared from the streets. Jewish shops were vandalized. Jewish people destroyed. Instability was a constant.
Corrie and her family joined the resistance and began providing safe harbor for Jews. When the Gestapo finally uncovered their hiding place, Corrie was arrested, interrogated, and beaten. She was separated from her beloved father, spent years in prison, watched her sister die a slow and cruel death at Ravensbruck concentration camp, and never knew if she too would take a walk to the gas chambers.
Corrie ten Boom’s world was incredibly unstable, but she was rock solid. Nothing could break her: not the inhumane conditions of slave labor, not the hopelessness of a concentration camp, not even the loss of friends and family. She walked away from a bitter war, but she was not bitter. Corrie knew peace for Corrie knew God. When the rains of adversity made travel difficult and the way unclear, she learned to hold his hand. Corrie was learning to trust the sovereign God:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6-7 ESV
Corrie wrote, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” She found his peace in her pressures, she discovered his strength in her struggles, and she watched him heal her heartache. Corrie teaches us that when we hold the hand of God we never walk alone.
Are you facing an uncertain future? You can walk alone in fear, cautiously placing one foot ahead of the next, or you can hold the hand of One who knows the path and will never leave your side. Go ahead, grip God’s hand! Paul shows us how in his letter to some friends at Philippi:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
Where do you need to trust him with your whole heart today?