“’And
do you seek great things for yourself?
Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,’ says
the Lord. ‘But I will give your life to
you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.’” –Jeremiah 45:5 (NKJV).
Many inspiring stories come from the
life of Miss Corrie ten Boom who endured great persecution during World War II,
lived through the hardships of a German concentration camp, and became a noted
biblical teacher and speaker in many places.
Her life was given to her as ‘a prize’ for the Lord’s work in ‘all
places wherever’ she went. Her
grandfather was named Gerrit ten Boom. He
was a faithful Christian who loved the Bible and made his house a house of
prayer and teaching in Heemstede, Holland.
His church became a center for part of the Great Awakening in
Europe. His great granddaughter, Corrie,
had a dream about her great grandfather when she was about eighteen years
old. In the dream he came to her and
they walked through a beautiful park. He
told her how important it was to sow seed so that they could come up, grow and
bloom as the plants that made the park so beautiful. Then he opened his Bible and said to her,
“Corrie, you are the daughter of my grandson.
You are a plant blooming now from my seed. This Word of God will never change. I want you to plant the seeds of truth from
God’s book so they will grow from generation to generation.” After that dream in which her great
grandfather appeared to her and gave her the challenge to love the Bible, she
studied the Word diligently and taught it to others wherever she went. Even in the darkest days of imprisonment when
many lost their lives, Corrie remained faithful to God’s Word and to spreading
its truths to encourage her fellow prisoners.
She never sought great things for herself, but lived humbly. Even through great adversity, her life was
spared—a prize, as her great grandfather had revealed to her in the dream. The seed from God’s word has come to us
because of the faithfulness of those who have nurtured and taught us. Now it is time for us, with our lives a prize
from God Himself, to share the seeds of God’s Word with those whose lives likewise
can become a prize for Him.
-Ethelene
Dyer Jones 03.03.2013
