No Pit Too Deep

Just recently I've had the pleasure of reading two of Corrie ten Boom's books. Corrie was a Dutch lady, who was taken prisoner along with her family, by the Nazis during the second world war for helping Jews escape the Nazis.

Corrie, a spinster, was in her 50s when she was taken prisoner, along with her father (who was in his 80s), her brother and her older sister, Betsie. Two of her nephews were also taken captive.

The story of their wartime experiences is told in 'The Hiding Place' and the sequel, 'Tramp for the Lord' tells of how Corrie travelled the world tirelessly under the Lord's direction, until well into her 80s, to tell people how God loves them.

The books are very moving indeed, and very enlightening. To read of people suffering such hardship, cruelty and evil, really does put the everyday problems I face into perspective. But one thing that really stood out to me were almost the last word's that Betsie ten Boom ever spoke to Corrie, before dying at Ravensbruck. It was God's commission to them - to Corrie - and what spurred Corrie on for so many years after:

"We must go everywhere. We must tell people that no pit is so deep that He is not deeper still. They will believe us, they will listen to us, because we were here."

If you have read previous posts you will know that we had a lot of heartache with my eldest daughter over the last two years. A lovely, Godly girl, she met and fell in love with a boy that was controlling and difficult, to put it mildly. He and his parents made life quite unbearable at times and on several occasions we had to get the Police involved - the problems were that serious, threatening and severe.

We could see it was a spiritual connection and a spiritual issue, but she hated us for trying to split them up and we suffered suicide threats, threats of leaving home and living with his family, and all sorts.

Amongst the mess, praise God, I knew God's peace. I was a little weary of it, and there were some awful times, but I knew the Lord. My husband found it more difficult. But ultimately the hardest thing was that it was so out of our control. We prayed and handed it to the Lord, but for two years it rumbled on with no sign of abatement.

Then suddenly, In late September, I heard that Ian McCormack, a man who had met God whilst dying after being stung many times by box jellyfish, was speaking locally. He had an amazing encounter with God and became a Christian and, like Corrie, has been travelling the world sharing his testimony and God's love ever since. My daughter said she wanted to go and hear him!

I took her, and she was so moved by what he shared that she gave her life back to God. The Holy Spirit moved upon her and she had a real God encounter. There was much crying and God really touched her heart.

I believe at that moment God somehow broke the connection she had had with her boyfriend, for since then she has become much more 'herself' again. The moods, threats, general difficult-ness has gone; it is like a light has been switched on again and she is blossoming.

Since then he has also been in touch with her, said that he had fallen out of love with her and did she give her permission for him to ask another girl out?! Praise God she was not heartbroken, but strangely unmoved and told him that was fine with her. She has also bumped into him and I asked her how that had made her feel - any butterflies or stomach lurch? She replied, "No, I felt nothing. That should tell me something, shouldn't it?"

She says now that she realises that even when you feel intensely for someone, your feelings can change, she just wasn't able to see or perceive that at the time.

But God has intervened, the relationship that was so binding, intense and all-consuming has been broken by the Lord, and with neither side being heartbroken - what a miracle. Two years of difficulty was suddenly over. Though at times the whole thing seemed like a deep pit that threatened to overwhelm us, the fact is, as Betsie said, 'No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still'.

I pray that this real life story of God moving in such a tangible way will encourage you to press on, keep trusting and keep believing. He is with us in the pit. He loves us in the pit. And when the time is right He rescues us from the pit.

Be blessed, especially as we approach Advent and remembering that Once Upon A Time, God Himself made Himself flesh, and came and suffered to save us. May you know Him with you : )