Our Hiding Place
I finished two books this month that got me thinking about praising God during our suffering. The first book I finished was called The Color of Grace by Bethany Haley Williams, Ph.D. In it she tells about how God used her suffering to help former child soldiers in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo heal from their trauma. The most beautiful part, however, was how much she learned from these children and the people helping them. They still praised God in the midst of the continuing war, despite all that they experienced and lost.
The second book I finished was called The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. This biography took place during World War II and centered around her family's experience hiding Jews during Germany's occupation of Holland and then being imprisoned in a concentration camp because of that work. The person who inspired me most was Corrie's sister Betsie, who no matter what the circumstance, maintained her faith in God during their suffering. In fact, her love and faith for Him grew through these experiences.
Reading about the faith of these courageous people made me question my own. If I experienced even a fraction of the trauma they did, would I still hold tightly to God. Ideally, I'd like to say yes, but I know it would be a struggle. I started to wonder what it would take to maintain my faith during dark times. I want to be intentional about strengthening my faith to withstand whatever may come my way.
In Psalm 32:7 (NIV), David says, "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." David experienced a great deal of heartache during his lifetime. Many of the psalms were written during these experiences. In them we can see his anguish and how he battled with himself to maintain his trust in God. I love this verse because it holds such strong resolve.
When we hide, it is from the danger we perceive. It can be easy during our suffering to blame God because we know He has full control of what is happening. He could easily stop it or intervene, yet when He does not, many of us begin calling His character into question. Instead of wanting to run to Him to hide, we run away from Him. We hide behind drugs or alcohol, money, obligations or responsibilities, masks of strength, avoidance, etc.
Choosing to make God our hiding place, however, draws us nearer to Him. Rather than trying to appear put together, brave, or strong, we rely on His strength and sovereignty. We place our trust in who He is rather than our circumstances. Trouble may continue to come our way, but we maintain our hope in Him and what He is working out. We can begin to see the ways He is blessing us even in the midst of our suffering, whether that is through the love we are shown, His provision, our ability to help others and tell them about Him, etc. We even gain the ability to dream, rather than just being consumed by nightmares. God gives us His vision and we begin coming up with beautiful ways He can use our heartache to do good rather than cause harm.
It isn't easy. We will still feel pain, but we will not be lost in the pit of hopelessness. When you are going through a situation that seems too much for you to bear, remember that you only have to run to Him and He will help you carry the load. Let Him be your hiding place.
The second book I finished was called The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. This biography took place during World War II and centered around her family's experience hiding Jews during Germany's occupation of Holland and then being imprisoned in a concentration camp because of that work. The person who inspired me most was Corrie's sister Betsie, who no matter what the circumstance, maintained her faith in God during their suffering. In fact, her love and faith for Him grew through these experiences.
Reading about the faith of these courageous people made me question my own. If I experienced even a fraction of the trauma they did, would I still hold tightly to God. Ideally, I'd like to say yes, but I know it would be a struggle. I started to wonder what it would take to maintain my faith during dark times. I want to be intentional about strengthening my faith to withstand whatever may come my way.
In Psalm 32:7 (NIV), David says, "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." David experienced a great deal of heartache during his lifetime. Many of the psalms were written during these experiences. In them we can see his anguish and how he battled with himself to maintain his trust in God. I love this verse because it holds such strong resolve.
When we hide, it is from the danger we perceive. It can be easy during our suffering to blame God because we know He has full control of what is happening. He could easily stop it or intervene, yet when He does not, many of us begin calling His character into question. Instead of wanting to run to Him to hide, we run away from Him. We hide behind drugs or alcohol, money, obligations or responsibilities, masks of strength, avoidance, etc.
Choosing to make God our hiding place, however, draws us nearer to Him. Rather than trying to appear put together, brave, or strong, we rely on His strength and sovereignty. We place our trust in who He is rather than our circumstances. Trouble may continue to come our way, but we maintain our hope in Him and what He is working out. We can begin to see the ways He is blessing us even in the midst of our suffering, whether that is through the love we are shown, His provision, our ability to help others and tell them about Him, etc. We even gain the ability to dream, rather than just being consumed by nightmares. God gives us His vision and we begin coming up with beautiful ways He can use our heartache to do good rather than cause harm.
It isn't easy. We will still feel pain, but we will not be lost in the pit of hopelessness. When you are going through a situation that seems too much for you to bear, remember that you only have to run to Him and He will help you carry the load. Let Him be your hiding place.
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