Today’s When Words Won’t Come verse challenges me to the very last shred of my faith. I hope it touches your heart.
Corrie ten Boom tells the story of her time in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck. She, along with her sister, Betsie, were subjected to horrific conditions and treatment during their time there. They lived, along with 1400 other women, in a flea- and lice-infested dormitory designed for 400 occupants. There were less than 10 toilets to accommodate the women and usually they were stopped up and overflowing with raw sewage. They were starved, beaten, and worked in deplorable situations for 11 hours each day.
Corrie and Betsie were Christians who had been able, by God’s grace, to smuggle a Bible into the camp. One of the first days they were incarcerated they opened the Scripture to 1 Thessalonians 5: 18. Betsie read this verse to Corrie:
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 18 (NLT)
Betsie was insistent they obey. They thanked God that they had been able to stay together, that they had been able to smuggle their Bible in, that they had not been killed. They thanked God that they were able to share the gospel through their nightly Bible study and prayer times with many in the dormitory who became Christians. They thanked God that the guards seemed to stay away from their dormitory, which gave them much more freedom than other dormitories experienced. They thanked God for many things during those dark and dreadful days.
One day Betsie insisted they thank God for the fleas. This was too much for Corrie. She protested mightily. The fleas and lice were constantly causing them misery and disease. How could she thank God for the fleas? Finally, she agreed to thank God for the fleas and did so regularly.
After months in Ravensbruck, Betsie overheard the guards talking. What she heard astounded her. The reason she and Corrie had such freedom to share the gospel in the dormitory was because none of the guards would come into the building BECAUSE OF THE FLEAS. The fleas had saved the lives of Corrie and Betsie and allowed them to share Jesus with untold numbers of women.
Are you thankful in ALL circumstances? Are there ‘fleas’ in your life for which you need to thank God? He may very well be using those ‘fleas’ for your good. Thank Him for them today.
MEDITATION MOMENT: Would you be willing to share about ‘fleas’ in your life that God has used for your good? Something that, at the time, seemed to be a curse, but instead it turned out to be a blessing. Give God a bit of praise here for those ‘fleas’.
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Have you stuffed down words that you wish you could voice about a situation or person? Starting in January, I will give you the opportunity to say them ANONYMOUSLY via a letter in my new series entitled What I Needed to Say….. Stop by this link to learn how you can be part of this series.
