The barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were kept in the
Ravensbruck Nazi concentration camp were terribly overcrowded and
flea-infested. They had been able to miraculously smuggle a Bible into the
camp, and in that Bible they had read that in all things they were to give
thanks, and that God can use anything for good.
Corrie’s sister Betsy decided that this meant thanking God for the fleas.
This was too much for Corrie, who said she could do no such thing. Betsy
insisted, so Corrie gave in and prayed to God, thanking Him even for the
fleas.
Over the next several months a wonderful, but curious, thing happened. They
found that the guards never entered their barracks. This meant that the
women were not assaulted. It also meant that they were able to do the
unthinkable, which was to hold open Bible studies and prayer meetings in the
heart of a Nazi concentration camp. Through this, countless numbers of women
came to faith in Christ.
Only at the end did they discover why the guards had left them alone and
would not enter into their barracks. It was because of the fleas.
In this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, give thanks to God for every
good and perfect gift (James 1:17), especially the gift of His Son Jesus for
our eternal salvation. But also thank Him for how He will use all things
(even fleas) for good in the lives of those who trust Him (Romans 8:28).
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”