Month: April 2019

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The Hiding Place

The Dutch ten Boom family not only have a peculiar family name but an even more remarkable story and life experience. A modest family of watchmakers risked their all, and eventually their lives, as they offered succour to Jews during the Nazi invasion of Holland. Theirs was a tale of unwavering faith in God’s good purposes in the face of hardship and persecution; security in the midst of insecurity; and a first-hand experience of what it means to call God father.

Being no history buff, reading The Hiding Place offered me a glimpse into the reality of the war experience from the perspective of an eye-witness and survivor. Yet in contrast to the gloom and terror of sheer human brutality, the radiance of persevering family life and relationships shines through the pages of this intriguing account. Carefully and purposefully narrated, each chapter draws the reader in, all the while teaching important life lessons based on Biblical principles. Little wonder that is the case, the ten Booms were devout Christians who made much of their faith. Heart-felt prayers were not far from their lips; it was their go-to response to both the highs and lows of daily life.

Betsie in one awkward prayer moment even thanked The Lord for the fleas that plagued their overcrowded prison room… talk of giving thanks in all circumstances!

Duly do we regard the ten Boom sisters – Corrie and Betsie as matriarchs of the faith. Somehow they were able to make sense of the absurdity of their lives, as Corrie surmised:

“Life in Ravensbruck took place on two separate levels, mutually impossible. One, the observable, external life, grew everyday more horrible. The other, the life we lived with God, grew daily better, truth upon truth, glory upon glory.” Pg. 182

There’s so much to be learnt from the lives of these ordinary women who took refuge in Jesus. Reading this autobiography will challenge you on one hand, and encourage you on the other.  On the whole, it offers an assurance like no other – Jesus is our hiding place too and He is trustworthy. What better place to be than in the centre of His will!

“There are no ‘if’s’ in God’s world. And no places that are safer than other places. The centre of His will is our only safety – O Corrie, let us pray that we may always know it!” – Betsie ten Boom.

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga.

*Corrie ten Boom’s story has been an inspirational best seller since its original publication in 1971, it was shortly after made into a popular feature film.

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The Tomb with a view

Photo by J CS on Unsplash

Depending on individual taste and appreciation of nature, upscale hotel lodgers – given the choice – are known to opt for rooms with a view. I suppose the rationale behind that choice is very understandable indeed – there’s something refreshingly captivating about gazing far into a beautiful horizon with no obstructions. In a moment, the viewer is transported right into the midst of majestic beauty and calmness, leaving behind the frazzle of a noisy and busy life. What could possibly be more enticing?

The Game-changer

Christians all over the world have just celebrated Easter, commemorating the death and resurrection of Christ. Given that this remembrance happens every year since that first Easter weekend hundreds of years ago, there’s a tendency to take for granted the significance of this history-defining event. It therefore bears recalling and retelling, for as the Apostle Paul asserts:

 “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Cor. 15: 14 – 16

In other words, our faith hinges on the event of that first Easter weekend!

Keeping an eternal perspective

The account of Jesus’ death and resurrection features not in isolation, but within a wider sweep of redemptive history, where God in His mercy is reconciling sinners to Himself. Our alienation from God as a result of sin was dealt with at the cross, and His wrath placated. As such, we no longer stand condemned – not now, not ever. Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Admittedly, the reality of our present circumstances may tempt us to question how much of good news the gospel really is. But Paul again helps us put things in perspective:

“16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18.

Whilst a lodger can temporarily revel in the joys of a hotel room with a transcendent view, the gospel offers us something more eternal. Because Christ has indeed been raised, our faith is not futile, and through that empty tomb, we are offered a view that changes everything both here and now, and in the life after.

Happy Easter!

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga.

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