Hello ,

When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Corrie ten Boom and her family made a dangerous decision — to hide Jews in their home. 

They built a secret room behind a wall in their house in Haarlem and called it the hiding place. For years they lived with the constant threat of discovery, but they believed that obedience to God was worth the risk.

Eventually, someone betrayed them. Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father were arrested. Corrie was sent to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp — a place where cruelty and death were daily reality. Yet even there, she found a way to pray.

She smuggled a small Bible past the guards, and every night she and Betsie would whisper prayers over the women in their barracks. Surrounded by filth, sickness, and suffering, they gave thanks for lice — because, as it turned out, the lice kept the guards away. It meant they could pray and read Scripture freely.

When Betsie’s health began to fail, Corrie struggled. She couldn’t understand why God would allow this. But her sister’s faith never wavered. “There is no pit so deep,” Betsie told her, “that He is not deeper still.”

After Betsie’s death, Corrie was released — by a clerical error — just one week before all women her age were executed. Years later, she traveled the world telling her story: that forgiveness is stronger than hatred, and prayer is more powerful than prison walls.

Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” 

Corrie’s story proves that God’s presence isn’t limited to sanctuaries. He meets us in the dark corners of life — even behind barbed wire.

Prayer doesn’t always remove the pain, but it redeems it. It doesn’t always open the door, but it brings peace inside the cell. Corrie’s faith teaches us that prayer isn’t about escaping our circumstances — it’s about inviting God into them.

Maybe your “camp” looks different — a season of grief, illness, or betrayal. You can’t see the purpose, and your heart feels locked behind fences of fear. But the same God who sat beside Corrie in Ravensbrück sits beside you now.

Reflection:
Where in your life do you feel imprisoned — by fear, regret, or uncertainty? What if, instead of asking God to take it away, you asked Him to meet you there?

Prayer:
Lord, when life feels like a prison, remind me You are still present. Teach me to pray, not just for escape, but for encounter. Let me trust that no matter how deep the pit, Your love is deeper still. Amen.

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word