Will You Trust God? (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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WILL YOU TRUST GOD?

Proverbs 3:5-6

Each summer, my wife and I enjoy reading Christian biographies with our daughters. Two summers ago, we read the story of Corrie Ten Boom.

Corrie grew up in Holland, her father was a clockmaker. As a family, they served the community, oftentimes helping the poor. She started the equivalent of a youth group and for years taught teenage girls the Bible. She was still a young woman when the Second World War swept through Europe. It wasn’t long before the Germans occupied her small village and shut down her youth Bible study.

People began to mysteriously disappear and a whisper of evil permeated the town. One day a Jewish woman knocked on their front door. Her husband had been taken and she feared for her life–could they help? The Ten Booms welcomed her in and hid her. At great personal risk to their family, they began to hide Jews who were running for their lives.

“In this household, the people of God are always welcome” was her father’s philosophy. They even built a small secret room in their house to hide those who sought refuge there. They called it the Hiding Place. This small family comprised of Corrie, her sister Betsy, and their father saved the lives of over 600 Jewish people during the war.

But after being turned in by an informant, the Gestapo raided their house searching for the Hiding Place. Corrie was beaten and thrown in prison with her father and her sister. A letter was snuck in to her, “All the watches in your cabinet are safe,” meaning that those they had been hiding had escaped.

Her father, already an old man, lasted ten days before he died. Corrie and Betsy were separated, each put in a small cell with three other women. They were given a thin mat to sleep on, a bucket to go to the bathroom in, and a second bucket with fresh water. Each day the fresh water was filled up and they were able to exchange the bathroom bucket, which often spilled over onto their sleeping mats.

They were given two squares of toilet paper and very small amounts of food. They were never allowed out of their cells, never saw daylight, never showered, and had only the clothes on their back. How long would it take before you questioned God and even lost hope?

Three months after Corrie was imprisoned, Adolph Hitler turned 55. The guards left to celebrate the Fuhrer’s birthday. For the first time, the prisoners were able to communicate with those in other cells. They sent word up and down the prison like a giant game of telephone. “To Rosina Kaufman, your mother is in cell 463, she is well and sends her love.” Some were more difficult, “To Isaac Franken, they took our twins. Have you heard where they are?”

Corrie sent out a message, “I am Corrie Ten Boom in cell 384. Is there any news of Betsie Ten Boom, my sister?” Before long the message came back. “Betsie Ten Boom in cell 314 says to tell her sister God is good.” I read this to the girls and had to stop because I was crying. God is good. How do you say that?

They had been ripped from their home, deprived of their freedom, and every shred of dignity had been taken from them. They were living a hellish nightmare, and yet she declared the goodness of God. How do you trust God in such a difficult time? To lay your whole life, every thought, every desire and every emotion at His feet and trust Him. This is no easy task. And even though we are not in a Nazi concentration camp, God’s desire for all His children is that we trust Him. To look up to Heaven from whatever pit we are in and acknowledge His care over us and to willingly put ourselves in His loving hands.

In the big, life-altering moments that shake you to your core as well as the little decisions of everyday life. When you hit a homerun and when you strike out. When it’s your birthday or when it’s your worst day. At the birth of a baby or at the graveside of a spouse. Whether you are dealing with exams, uncertainty at work, family tensions, health issues, or severe loss. I don’t know what valley you walk through, but if you are a child of God then He is asking you to trust Him. And the question we will ask ourselves this morning is will you trust God? Will you trust God?

We are in the middle of a short series in the Proverbs called, “Be Wise”. John taught us about the Fear of God, and last week he unpacked the seven things which God hates. Chris walked through Proverbs 5 on the topic of sexual sin. Next week Nigel will close our series with a message entitled listening to wise counsel. After that, a handful of men from our church will preach through the Psalms—Morgan, Pat Levis, Jon Stead, Robert Dodson, and a few others. In addition, we have Scott Ardavanis and Steve Lawson coming to our pulpit–very exciting times.

This morning we are going to look at Proverbs 3:5 to 6. Please open your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 3 and let’s look at the instruction given by Solomon, the wisest man on earth. Proverbs 3:5 and 6 are the most well-known verses in this book. Let’s read them together.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This is a timely word for each of us and the question is, “Will you trust God?” I have broken this down into five observations. Let’s look at them together. First . . .

1.  An Honest Admission–Life is Hard

This is not directly in our text, but it is where we must begin. Our lives are filled with adversity, difficulty and pain. Certainly there are times where the sun shines brightly and everything seems to go our way, but there are also times when there is no wind in the sails and the hits just keep coming. You don’t have to go very far back to find the most recent trial in your life. For some you are going through it right now.

Sometimes it is an emergency like a car accident, an ER visit, a miscarriage, a sudden death, an unexpected lay off at work. Some event that comes with no warning and brings you to your knees. Other times, it is a dull, aching, lingering pain. A breakup, a rebellious child, loneliness, a chronic health issue, the prolonged pain of loss, or the feeling of failure that gnaws away at your mind. All of these remind us that life is hard.

And sometimes the hits just keep coming. You pay your taxes just in time for your car to break down, your extended family decides to spend an extra week at your house, you spill on yourself during lunch right before an important business meeting, you oversleep and miss your final, the dog gets sick, so you kick it, then it bites you.

Or maybe you are confronted with difficult decisions–should we have an aging parent move in, should we homeschool the kids, should I date this guy, should I go away to college, how do I handle an explosive situation at work, what do I do in my retirement? We have little control over our circumstances, from natural disasters to air strikes, and from traffic to rain on your wedding day. All of this is evidence that we live in a fallen world. And on this side of Heaven, life will always be this way.

Job 5:7 says, “For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.” And in John 16:33, “Jesus said, ‘In the world you have tribulation.’” One man said, “Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.”

Many of you are carrying heavy burdens. You walked in this morning with a smile on your face and politely said, “Hello”–but this is a thin veneer covering a heart that is barely hanging on. Life has thrown a curve ball, the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and you are filled with anxiety over present events and future what ifs. Our honest admission, life is hard–it is. And we need help. So where do you turn in the midst of difficult times?

As we sit here on Sunday morning with our Bibles open, we know that the answer is turn to God, trust God, acknowledge our need, and come in humility to the One who hears our prayers and who cares for us. Right? But sadly, this is not our natural inclination, is it? But it leads us to our second observation.

This is amazing to me. We know that we live in a fallen world. We recognize that we have limited control. We know that God has appointed trials as a way to grow and shape us. And yet when the rubber meets the road, what is our natural impulse?

2.  A Prideful Response–I Got This

Instead of humbly putting ourselves under the mighty hand of God and choosing to trust Him, we choose self-dependence. In the words of Proverbs 3:5, we choose to “lean on our own understanding.”

To illustrate this, I have brought a crutch and I can lean all my weight on it. This phrase paints a visual image in our mind. Like this crutch which is used to fully support the weight of my body so that I do not fall, I rely on it to hold me up. If it is removed or if it fails, I will fall. Those who lean on their own understanding risk falling in the same way.

The caution is not to fully lean on our own limited insight because we are finite, we are fallen, and we have deceitful hearts. But this is our “go to” when we face a difficult situation. We want to go our own way. We don’t want to be under authority. We don’t want to trust anyone but self. “I know best. I don’t need help. I can muscle this one out. I will take care of my family.” We are a self-sufficient people. And because we live in a land of plenty, we are not accustomed to relying on God.

Who prayed in the past week for enough food to eat or clothing to stay warm? Our basic necessities are met ten times over, and so our need to trust God is decreased and our self-reliance is increased. Why do I need to trust God? I already have all I need–we are a self-made, independent, and educated people with a high view of self.

Proverbs 26:12 warns us of this type of thinking. “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Think about your life. How many times do you make decisions, set a course of action, or move forward without consulting the Lord? Let me say it a different way–do you pray about the decisions you make? It pains me to admit that all too often, we a prayerless people, trusting more in ourselves than in God. This is a problem. In fact, it is a sign of pride. This takes us to our next observation.

3.  A Simple Instruction–Fall on Christ

The simple instruction stands in contrast to what we have just looked at. Instead of leaning on our own understanding, we are instructed in verse 5 to “trust in the Lord” and verse 6 to “acknowledge Him.” These are straightforward commands that are not difficult to understand, but oh how we struggle to obey. The word trust means to rely on, to depend on, to hope in, put your confidence in. In our vernacular, it is to put yourself in the hands of another.

To acknowledge is different for us today than the way it is used here in Proverbs. We see it as recognizing something and admitting its importance. For example, “I acknowledge that the Captain’s Breakfast at Creamistry is one of the best desserts ever. You may think it is the Pizookie at BJ’s or the strawberry shortcake at Cheesecake Factory, but I am convinced it is the $37 Captain’s Breakfast.”

The biblical definition of acknowledge is more than that. It is to know them and to fellowship with them in an intimate way. It could even be translated remember Him. And we see in verse 5 that our trust is to be in the Lord and verse 6 we are to acknowledge Him. The proper name of God is used. Trust in Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God of the sons of Israel. Trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Christian, whether you are young or old, whether you are single or married, rich or poor, healthy or sick, newly converted or mature in the faith–whether you are in the storm of adversity or this is just another Sunday, this instruction comes to you. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are called to fall on Him.

A little over a year ago I fell, severely cracked my skull, and ended up with brain fluid leaking out my right nostril. After going through the ER, getting a cat scan of my head, and having an epidural drain put into my spinal column to take the pressure off my brain, I was wheeled into the ICU. Just one week earlier, I had run ten miles. Work was going great. I was getting ready to preach at high school winter camp. It was Christmas day and there I was laying in the most secure room in the ICU with a severe head trauma. This picture was taken five days later, the first time I was strong enough to get out of bed. (In case you are wondering, that is brain fluid in the bag.)

While I laid in that bed, I had a lot of time to think and pray. One moment, I was putting myself in the hands of God and fully trusting Him. There were some incredible times of worship. But the pendulum would swing and I would experience severe doubt and anxiety as I lay there terrified of my future. Would I be able to go back to work and provide for my family? Would I be able to play with my kids? Would I regain cognitive function? Would I ever be normal again?

It was a really difficult time and I learned a lot. Do you know what the biggest lesson was? I don’t trust God. I saw very clearly my lack of dependence. This simple instruction is not easy. I battled and I fought and I struggled to trust Him. But that trial did much to teach me how to trust. And the best way to learn to trust God is to know God. To help us with this, I would like to help us to know God better. Let me give you four reasons why you should trust Him.

A.  God is sovereign

That is to say, He is in control of everything. Notice that we never see a vision of God balancing His checkbook or filling up His gas tank or running late to some engagement. He is not overwhelmed by too many things on His divine to-do list. No, we see Him on His throne in the position of authority and absolute control.

In Job 42:2 Job said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” Daniel said in Daniel 4:35, “No one can stop Him.” Jeremiah said, “Nothing is too difficult for Him,” in Jeremiah 32:17. And Isaiah said, “Who can frustrate the hand of God?” in Isaiah 14:27.

Jerry Bridges, in the book Trusting God, said, “If there is a single event in all of the universe that can occur outside of God’s sovereign control, then we cannot trust Him. His love may be infinite, but if His power is limited and His purpose can be thwarted, we cannot trust Him.” But every molecule in this universe is under His control and functions according to His plan.

The Psalmist said, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases,” Psalm 115:3. Let’s allow Charles Spurgeon to apply this to our lives. He said, “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them.” And so we take great comfort in the sovereignty of God and we choose to trust Him because He is sovereign.

B.  God is good

Jesus said in Mark 10:18, “No one is good except God alone.” Genesis 1:31 says His creation is good. Psalm 119:39 says that His word is good. Romans 12:2 says that His will is good. James 1:17 says that His gifts are good. Because of all of this, Psalm 34:8 encourages us to “taste and see that the LORD is good.”

What a great truth this is. God’s sovereign rule is governed by His goodness. And this is not a dash of good, nor is it a passing inclination for good. This is a goodness that is rooted in the eternal nature of God Himself. This is who He is. This is what He does. AW Pink said, “In God there is an infinite ocean of good.” His thoughts toward us are good and only good. His actions toward us are good and only good. And He can be trusted because He is good.

And how can we not think about Romans 8:28? “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” In the midst of even the darkest hour, we can trust Him because we know that a good God is working all things for our good. John Newton said, “If it were possible for me to alter any part of his plan, I could only spoil it.”

We trust Him because He is sovereign, we trust Him because He is good, and thirdly, we trust Him because . . .

C.  God is wise

Our wisdom is limited to our education, our experiences, and our station in life. We cannot predict the future any more than we can control it. And so we are prone to misjudgments, to errors, and we make bad decisions. But God never makes mistakes. He never needs a mulligan. There are no do-overs with the Almighty. All His ways are perfect and His plans are right–and so we trust a wise God.

Psalm 147:5 says His understanding is infinite. Pink said God is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell. And yes, it’s true that sometimes we cannot see His wisdom in the midst of our trial, but instead of questioning, we to trust that His sovereign, good, and wise hand is at work in our lives.

“God knows exactly what we need and how to supply it. His training is no random work. It is carried on with exquisite skill” (Horatio Bonar). Christian, God knows the hairs on your head, has kept your tears in His bottle, has numbered all your days, and is intimately acquainted with all your ways. You have not been forgotten about. He has a plan for your life.

No sickness, no disease, no loss of a loved one, or broken heart, or anything else is outside of His wise plan. And this is good news. God can be trusted because He is sovereign, He is wise, and He is good.

Now if you would, give a round of applause for my daughters as they come up on the stage. This is Zoe and this is Haley. For years, we have done trust falls together. You know about trust falls, right? One person stands directly behind the other person and asks them to fall backward into their arms. They cannot see the person and therefore have to trust that they will catch them.

Let me demonstrate this with Haley. She does it no problem. Now Zoe. Wait a minute–try that again. Hmmmm. Same result. Maybe you should watch your sister. Haley, try it one more time. Okay, now Zoe. Now before you feel bad for them, please understand that they are good negotiators and they have a set rate any time I use them in a sermon.

Let me draw this together. Picture Zoe, not as my child, but as a child of God. In fact, put yourself in her shoes. You are in a situation that requires trust. Think of that situation now. Allow me to speak as God the Father would speak to you. “My child, I know you are in a difficult situation. And while this trial threatens to undo you, I am here for you. I am good, and wise, and in control of all things. I have never let you fall in the past and I will not let you fall now. I will be faithful to you. I will not let your foot slip and I will never let you go. I know that you can’t see Me, you can’t touch Me, but I am here with you. I am asking you to take a step of faith and trust Me. Fall into my outstretched arms and know that I will catch you.”

Go ahead, my child. Fall into my arms. I’m ready. Thanks Z, go ahead and sit down.

Have you ever responded to God this way? We all have. We have doubted and in the midst of a difficult time, we have failed to trust Him. How sad. It is an indictment on each of us. And we need to confess our lack of trust as sin. My friend, God is good, He is wise, and He controls all things and He is worthy of our trust. Let me give you one more attribute of God in view to complete the picture.

D.  God is love

I’d like to draw your attention to just one verse to highlight the love of God. It is in your outline. Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” In an unmatched demonstration of selfless love, the Father put His Son on a cross and treated Him as if He had lived your sin-stained life. He was abandoned as He bore the wrath of God for sin.

Now watch this. Don’t miss it. If God was willing to do all of this for you, look at the end of Romans 8:32, “How will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” If he would do the greater work, offer you salvation through the death of Christ, then will He not do the lesser to keep you?

But sometimes we get into the midst of a trial, and we are tempted to doubt His love. We may even question Him, saying, “If He loved me, then why would He allow this to happen? It hurts. I am in pain. The sorrow is too great. Does He really love me?”

My friend, your eyes are on yourself. You are leaning on your own understanding. Come out from the shadows and see the love of God in the bloody and beaten face of the Savior who gave Himself for you. In your unsure future, in your physical ailment, in your spiritual depression, in your lonely grief, in your financial ruin learn to trust the God who loves you with a never-stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love.

Spurgeon said, “God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” So let me ask you a question. Will you trust God?

4.  An All-Inclusive Requirement: Hold Nothing Back

We aren’t finished yet. There are two modifiers given in Proverbs 3 that are important to understand. Verse 5 says to “trust the Lord with all your heart.” Verse 6 says to “acknowledge Him in all your ways.” In our vernacular, this is going all in. Let’s break this down into two sections–the first is to trust Him with . . .

A.  Everything you are

We see this in the phrase “with all your heart.” This is nothing new–God has always asked for your whole heart. First Samuel 12:30 says, “Serve the Lord with all your heart.” Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “Seek the Lord with all your heart.” Deuteronomy 30:2 says, “Obey the Lord with all your heart.” And Deuteronomy 6 says, “Love the Lord with all your heart.”

And here in Proverbs 3, we are told to “trust in the Lord with all your heart”–that is to engage our full mental faculties, our mind, our will, our emotions, all that we are and without reservation to trust God. “Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold of the promises of God and cling to them” (Bridges).

This is how you first come to God in salvation, isn’t it? The sinner comes to a holy God, lays their entire life, all that they are at the foot of the cross and trusts Christ wholly for the forgiveness of sin. You cannot trust partially in Christ and partially in your works. No, the sinner “confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart [or trusts in their heart, their whole heart] that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

I work in a very competitive environment selling surgical implants to orthopedic surgeons in the operating room. A couple months ago, I had lunch with one of my competitors at Fish 101 in Encinitas (I highly recommend it). Until recently, he was pretty high up in the Mormon Church, teaching on Sundays as part of their leadership. Through his own study of the Bible, he came to the conclusion that Mormonism is a false religion and he is now on the search for truth.

We met to discuss all of this. He knew I was a Christian, but didn’t know much about me, and I think he came in part to try to rattle my faith. “How much of the Bible do you know?” he asked. “Because I have been doing a lot of study and have a really good grasp of what it says.” I didn’t want to scare him off before we even got started, so I paused, “I read and I study as much as I can,” was my reply.

As our conversation progressed, I laid out the biblical doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ alone. That God grants forgiveness not based on the merit of the sinner but to those who trust Him with all their hearts. He was quiet for a while, then looked at me with incredulity and with a hint of anger in his voice and said, “How can you believe that? It is such an arrogant statement to think that there is only way to Heaven. You can’t really believe in such an exclusive salvation?”

I was quiet for a few seconds as I formulated my response–then I quietly and humbly said to him, “Ryan, there is no arrogance in my statement. I am staking my eternal soul on this truth. Everything I am believes that there is only one way to God. Every fiber of my being is convinced that there is one name given under heaven by which we must be saved. I am all in, trusting the Lord with my whole heart. Don’t hear arrogance, hear the desperate cry of a heart that is fully leaning on Christ, and if I’m wrong then my soul is doomed.”

I shared with him the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” This is what it means to be a Christian. You are all in. You aren’t dabbling with this religious thing. You aren’t just checking it out. You aren’t just doing what you think your parents want you to do. You aren’t just taking your kids to church because you want them to learn good moral lessons. No, you are staking your eternal destiny on the truths written in this book. You are trusting in the finished work of Christ alone for salvation.

There is no question that every one of us will cross the cold river of death and the question is what will bring you to the other side? Is it your goodness? Your works? Your intelligence? No, the Christian admits they can do nothing to save themselves. And so they fall on Christ trusting Him with all their heart. “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation” Isaiah 12:2). And so we trust God with everything we are. We also trust God in:

B.  Everything you do

That is the phrase, “in all your ways”, and it speaks to how the wholehearted trust of God fleshes out in everyday living. It is to be manifest, Proverbs 3:6 says, “in all your ways.” In the major trauma of life as well as the minor issues. Big or little, watch this, it all matters to God. And the idea here is that in every decision, in every pain point, in every trial–every issue should be cast at the feet of Christ.

How are you doing at this? Are you trusting God in big and little? What issue are you facing right now that you need to relinquish control of and give to the Lord? I want you to write it down in your notes. It’s ok to write it in code so the person next to you doesn’t know what it is. But think about an area that you need to surrender, even a small one–not in part, but in whole.

We have seen an honest admission–life is hard. We have a prideful response–I got this. We are given a simple instruction–fall on Christ. There is an all-inclusive requirement–hold nothing back. And all of this taken together points us to . . .

5.  An Unexpected Blessing: God Will Help You

Look at the end of verse 6, He “will make your paths straight.” This is a great promise. In the midst of trial or difficulty or decision, God will step in. He will, verse 6, “make your paths straight.” This word to make straight means to smooth out or to make level. God will act to smooth your path. This is the promise of God. We could say trust brings blessing.

What does your life look like right now? Are you on a smooth and straight path, one that honors God? Maybe your life is a bit crooked and needs some midcourse correction. Maybe your life is a scrambled egg and it would take an act of God to fix the mess that you have made. Maybe so, but that’s okay. God is in the business of restoring broken people. He did it for me and many others in this room, and He will do it for you. He can make your path straight. The question is, will you trust Him?

I asked the guys to put Jeremiah 17:5 to 8 on the screen so you can read it with me. It is a great way to close this out. “Thus says the Lord, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. 8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Trust brings blessing. What a great promise.

Let’s wrap this up with a few thoughts as we conclude . . .

1)  Give thanks

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In all things, let us recognize the hand of God in our trials. Take time today to thank Him that He is sovereign, good, wise, and loving and that you can trust Him.

2)  Seek humility

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Lay down your pride and your desire to control, and submit to Him in humility.

3)  Worship Him

No matter what circumstance you are in, seek to be like Job, who “arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord’” (Job 1:20-21).

We made five observations this morning . . .

  1. An honest admission–life is hard
  2. A prideful response–I got this
  3. A simple instruction–fall on Christ
  4. An all-inclusive requirement–hold nothing back
  5. An unexpected blessing–God will help you

This is a good word. Let’s seek to apply it to our lives.

Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy were transported on a train to the worst concentration camp in Germany. For four days, they were stuffed into a closed boxcar that had no windows and no ventilation. The women were pressed together like cattle, with no food or water. Unable to move, they were forced to even go to the bathroom right where they were. When they arrived, and the soldiers pushed the door open, a good portion were already dead, and their bodies fell from the train.

The women were allowed one piece of bread and watery soup each day. They grew progressively weaker and those who were close to death were often rounded up and sent to the gas chamber where they were exterminated. The smell of human flesh went up from the incinerator that burned day and night. Even still, these two sisters held Bible studies each night to encourage the other women.

But soon, Betsy began to fade. Before she died, she told Corrie, there is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still. Betsy trusted God until the end. Fifteen days after the death of her sister, Corrie was released a free woman. She returned to Holland where she once again taught women the Bible and helped the poor. She lived to the age of 91 and traveled all over the world trusting God and sharing the love of Christ. What a story. In the same way, may we choose to trust God with all our heart and acknowledge Him in all our ways. Let’s pray.

About Shawn Farrell

Shawn leads the college ministry and serves as an elder at Faith Bible Church

1 Comment

  1. Bh on March 26, 2019 at 1:22 am

    Wow….ive lost my house, my family, my love for the Lord. Hes allowed me my health.

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