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It was 1944 and Corrie Ten Boom along with her family, found themselves assisting in hiding Jews from the Nazis in what has been termed “the hiding place”. While those 6 Jews were kept safe, Corrie and others in her home, including her father and her siblings, were arrested. Corrie’s father and sister who she remained in prison with both died.
Corrie, through this suffering, was later released and reunited with her surviving family members. She had the choice to stop there. After all, she had been through so much suffering and turmoil and seen many people die. But no, Corrie continued on in her faith, sharing the love of God with people around the world. Truly she found joy through her suffering. Here is how we can too.
Thankfully most of our situations are not as serious as Corrie Ten Boom’s. But there are many of you from other countries who are fighting to share the Gospel and are meeting with other believers in your own “hiding places”. I think we’ve lost the truth of how remarkable this is. In our own comforts, especially in America, where we can wake up and choose who we want to be and what we want to believe in and no one will truly bat an eye, we have lost the understanding of the sacrifice of the Gospel.
People suffered to bring us Jesus.
People were persecuted to bring us His message.
But yet they kept on, knowing that their work was not in vain and that the Lord was truly with them. Some of the Gospel writers even encouraged us to take up the same joy that they have to continue on in our faith through suffering.
" Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." -James 1:2-4
"Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church." -Colossians 1:24
This is the same way for you! You must keep on going in your faith. Now most of us are not going through such serious situations as suffering to preach the Gospel. But some of us have suffered through miscarriages, rape, lies, torment, spiritual attacks, divorce, financial troubles, family problems and more. Each is equally important to our own journey and should not be compared with others, although by hearing other testimonies, our mindsets against our sufferings can be changed.
You have to take your situation and consider the endurance of Jesus through His suffering. He endured His suffering through the cross because He was able to find and remember the joy that was coming ahead for Him and for us.
"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." -1 Peter 4:12-14
Find the joy that is ahead for you through your suffering! If you say there isn’t any, that is also to say that God isn’t good and faithful. Isn’t He? The One who gave the promise is the same One who is faithful to keep it. He doesn’t have the same level of “goodness” and “faithfulness” as man. If He said something, He will see it through.
"God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" -Numbers 23:19
Remember that your ultimate joy is in Jesus, the eternal life. We have a whole life ahead after this one promised to us through the Son. This is not the end for us. Remember that! The Lord will redeem you and your story. He is good enough to bless you with a child after miscarriage. He is faithful enough to heal you from the trauma of rape. He is faithful enough to remember the lies spoken against Him, and be with you through the lies spoken against you. He is Mighty enough to deliver you from torment and spiritual attacks. He sees you enough to restore you after divorce and He is faithful enough to send the provision and the peace that it takes to make it through financial troubles and family problems.
Take joy in your suffering and know that your Redeemer is coming!
Don’t give up where you are. Keep pressing. Keep hoping. Keep believing for more and soon enough your redemption will be at your door.
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