In these times of frustration and worry, I have been reminded that all storms can be weathered, but not all can be survived. I say that because we are sometimes called upon to submit to the will of the Lord, in all things, and to even lay down our lives as witnesses of the truths we know. In the process, we lay down all that we are and take up something new to replace it. And in that sense we have not survived, but rather been reborn. This is the nature of the storms of the soul.
Such a storm was experienced by the Jews of Daniel's day, and their leaders, which included Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They were commanded (along with all Jews, captive in Babylon) to worship an image of gold created by Nebuchadnezzer. This they refused to do. And a great furnace was prepared, to threaten them if they didn't comply. During the confrontation the king asked what god would save them? Their answer is profound:
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
The significant phrase, "but if not," indicates their willingness to become victims of Nebuchadnezzer's wrath rather than break the commandment of the Lord.
As we know, they were delivered. The Lord, himself, was seen conversing with them in the furnace. But they were willing to let it be otherwise. Or in other words, their will was swallowed up in the will of the Lord.
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“The Hiding Place” is a book by a woman named Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman caught up in the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II. It talks about helping the Jews of Holland to escape the Nazis.
In 2009, I found the book on the shelf again and re-read her story. She was imprisoned, and suffered all kinds of things because she was caught trying to protect these people. Most were helped to move to the Dutch countryside with forged papers. But some looked "too Jewish" to be helped that way. These people stayed in her house. She had a special wall constructed in her bedroom so that these people could hide if there was a raid. The hiding place was eventually discovered, most of her family was killed, and she and her sister, Betsie, were sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Betsie died there, but Corrie survived. And she spent her time after the war healing the wounds caused by the conflict. And she gave lectures about her experience, telling of the power of God's forgiveness.
During one of these lectures, a man approached her, who she recognized as one of her former guards, one of the cruelest.
“You mentioned Ravensbrück in your talk,” he said. “I was a guard there. . . . But since that time, . . . I have become a Christian.” He explained that he had sought God’s forgiveness for the cruel things he had done. He extended his hand and asked, “Will you forgive me?”
Corrie described the experience:
“It could not have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.
“ . . . The message that God forgives has a . . . condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. . . .
“ . . . ‘Help me!’ I prayed silently. ‘I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.’
“ . . . Woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. As I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
“ ‘I forgive you, brother!’ I cried. ‘With all my heart.’
“For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then.”
Corrie ten Boom
Until 2009, I had always imagined that the “Hiding Place” was talking about the tiny space behind the special wall in the ten Boom's home. What I found out was that she called Jesus, The Hiding Place. He was the one who helped her through her trials. And it was He who helped her extend her hand to the Ravensbruck guard.
Sometimes the sacrifice we are called upon to make is not to be cast into a furnace, but to extend a forgiving hand. And yet, in the moment of decision we receive the reward.
One of my favorite LDS hymns, because we use it during the moments before the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, is called "Where Can I Turn for Peace?". I recommend you go to this page to experience it.
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