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"You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance."
(Psalm 32:7)
Corrie ten Boom lived in Haarlem, Netherlands just outside Amsterdam during WWII. Her father was a watchmaker, and Corrie herself was the first qualified female watchmaker in the Netherlands. Their family loved Jesus, and Corrie's father, Casper, was a pillar in the community. Their faith compelled them to help in the resistance against the Nazis when the war began. Their home became a safe house for Jews and resistance workers. They even built a fake wall in Corrie's bedroom with a secret entrance, concealed by a bookcase, for their visitors to hide in should they be found out. There is much to their story, and perhaps you are familiar with it already. In 1944, they were betrayed, and their home was raided. The precious souls they were hiding raced to the hiding place as they had practiced many times before. Corrie, her father Casper, and her sister Betsy were arrested, and only ten days later, Casper died. While the people who ran to the hiding place during the raid were stuck there for multiple days as Nazi's surrounded the house, they did eventually make it out and escaped safely! Corrie and Betsy were in various prisons and concentration camps, including time in solitary confinement, until they both ended up at the extremely harsh Ravensbrück concentration camp. Corrie struggled with great bitterness and hate, but the faith of her sister Betsy helped her to trust the Lord and fight for love and forgiveness, both in the camp and after. Unfortunately, Betsy died while at Ravensbrück, but Corrie was eventually released! After the war, it was revealed that she was actually released due to a clerical error and should have been killed instead! But God. We know that the Lord is sovereign, and there are no mistakes. Following her miraculous release and the end of the war, Corrie ten Boom had a spectacular ministry sharing the hope of Jesus all over the world. She traveled to over 60 countries and proclaimed a message of hope and forgiveness. Her story has been heard by millions and has been an encouragement to many.
A couple weeks ago, I got to visit the Corrie ten Boom House in the Netherlands. The home where they lived, ran their business, and hid Jews and resistance workers during the Holocaust is now a museum where they give tours of the home and tell stories about the faith of the ten Booms and their work with the resistance. Their story has also been adapted into a movie called The Hiding Place. At my university, all first-year students watch the movie at one of their chapel meetings. Since my freshman year, I have been encouraged and challenged by their story. So when a dear friend of mine from university came to visit us over Christmas this year, we decided to visit the house together. A very kind Dutch man gave us our tour and testified to the hope of the Gospel. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever nearby.
When we first walked into the house, they ushered us into the living room. I noticed a piece of music on the piano. It was a song titled "You are my hiding place" (of course). The ten Booms had a hiding place built into their home, but they also had a hiding place in the Lord God Almighty, who is indeed the hiding place and refuge for all of us who are in Christ. Remember today's verse from above:
In Psalm 32:7, the Hebrew word for "hiding place" is seter, which carries the connotation of being a secret shelter to conceal oneself. He is the One to whom we can run for shelter and protection. David then writes that the Lord "preserves [him] from trouble". How could this be true for Corrie? She found herself in a concentration camp! A life with Jesus doesn't mean that troubles won't come; indeed, John 16:33 tells us that we can know for sure we will face troubles in this world. But the Lord ultimately keeps us secure in Him.
You know, as I reflect on the life and testimony of the ten Booms, I am reminded of how, when our faith is tested, the true depth of our faith is revealed. In times of great suffering, one could choose to doubt God, either in His goodness or His very existence. One could choose to seek comfort or solace in something else. But there is only one True Hiding Place, one Refuge, and one Comfort. Jesus is your hiding place. From the declaration of King David in Psalm 32 to the testimony of a 20th century Dutch watchmaker and his family, the Lord is indeed our hiding place.
The rest of this week, I'll share some other stories from Corrie ten Boom and my experience visiting the museum.
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