Through the Waters and the Fire: Corrie ten Boom and Isaiah 43:2

Through the Waters and the Fire: Corrie ten Boom and Isaiah 43:2

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." - Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)

Notice the wording: the Lord does not say "if" but "when". Trials are expected. The promise is His presence, not a life without water or fire.

Few lives show this better than that of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker and Christian writer. During the Second World War, she, her father Casper, her sister Betsie and other family members hid Jewish people in their home in the Netherlands, helping many escape the Nazis. The family was eventually caught, and Corrie was sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her autobiography, The Hiding Place, recounts how she and Betsie held on to hope in God even inside the camp. Corrie survived, and spent the rest of her life travelling and sharing that hope with others.

What can we take from it?

- Faithful obedience may cost us, but God walks with us through the cost.
- Hope is often kept alive in community, as it was between two sisters.
- A hard season can become a testimony that comforts others later.

Prayer point: Lord, be with every member walking through water or fire today, and let us come out carrying Your peace.

Over to you:
- Which promise in Scripture carried you through your own difficult season?
- Has there been a time you only understood God's presence in hindsight? Share it with us.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Corrie ten Boom"; Isaiah 43:2, King James Version.
Photo: Corrie ten Boom, via Wikimedia Commons