Life lessons from Corrie ten Boom - Part 2Sample

God intended it for good

Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

   “My life is but a weaving between my God and me

   I do not choose the colors, He works so steadily

   Oft times He weaves in sorrow and I in foolish pride

   Forget He sees the upper and I the underside

   Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle cease to fly

   Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why

   The dark threads are as needful in the weaver's skillful hand

   As the threads of Gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.”

After the war, Corrie speaks at many meetings, and at the end of those meetings, Corrie often reads this poem. She absolutely doesn't mean that God enjoys pouring out buckets full of sorrow and ill-treatment over our heads. What she means is that we live in a broken world and that we all have our dark threads in our lives. Threads, nobody sometimes even knows about. God, at times, allows evil to happen in our lives. But He also invites us to put those dark threads in His hands. We most probably will not get an answer on our “why did this happen?” But if we put our life in His hands He can turn things into good. 

Corrie sometimes compared her life with Joseph from the Old Testament. Betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave to Egypt, he was imprisoned for many years. He eventually ended up second in command next to Pharaoh. Joseph saved his family from famine. When his father died, his brothers begged him for forgiveness. He replied: “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to save a people.” 

The Nazi’s, SS guards, and the betrayer meant it for evil in Corrie’s life, but God meant it for good, and thousands and thousands of people have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior through Corrie’s inspiring testimony, whereby Corrie always emphasized: “I’m not special but I have a special God!”

Question 

• Are there people who have ill-treated you? 


• What do you need to do to put these dark threads of ill-treatment in God’s hand?

Prayer

Father, thank You that I can trust You, even when people have done bad things to me. You can turn things into good. Help me to see this more and more and to put the dark threads of my life into Your hands.