Corrie and Betsy ten Boom: Four Guarantees for Life

Have you ever felt like life's twists and turns make no sense? Like ancient Peruvian landscape art that appeared random from ground level but revealed beautiful animal designs when viewed from above, our lives need a higher perspective to see God's masterpiece taking shape.

This powerful message unpacks 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." Far from being a spiritual platitude or quick fix for life's struggles, this verse offers four profound guarantees: the guarantee of God's Word (we can know this is true because God said it), the guarantee of God's involvement (He actively causes things to work together), the guarantee of God's control (over "all things" without exception), and the guarantee of God's design (weaving individual events into a meaningful whole).

The remarkable story of Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom illustrates these principles in action. Despite imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp, Betsy maintained an extraordinary perspective of faith—even thanking God for the fleas infesting their barracks, which they later discovered kept guards away, allowing them to hold Bible studies undisturbed. Her famous words, "There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still," inspired Corrie's 39-year worldwide ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation after her miraculous release.

Like a skilled shipbuilder who creates an unsinkable vessel from steel pieces that would individually sink, God is fashioning every piece of our lives—even the painful, confusing parts—into His unsinkable plan. We may not understand how certain circumstances contribute to our good now, but when we view life from heaven's perspective, we can trust the divine Artist is creating something beautiful with every hill and valley we encounter.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:29

In a book entitled Mystery on the Desert, the author described a series of strange hills and valleys made by the Indians in Peru centuries ago. These hills will go for hundreds of yards and then suddenly stop, maybe turn suddenly, or maybe curve slowly around without any rhyme or reason. There doesn't seem to be any perceivable pattern. For centuries these hills were believed to be the ancient remnants of an irrigation system. Perhaps it was boundary markers of some sort, maybe some kind of religious activity. Of course the History Channel has jumped in and said they're alien-produced, whatever, from time immemorial. But in 1939, the mystery was solved. And it was solved because of the invention of the airplane, by flying high over these seemingly random hills and valleys that form straight lines, that curve this way or that. They discovered it was rather creative art. These hills and valleys were creative outlines, artistic renderings by rather ingenious Peruvian landscape artists creating outlines of birds and animals. You couldn't make sense of it on the ground, but every twist and turn meant something. Every hill and valley ultimately contributed to the masterpiece in the mind of the artist.

Understanding Romans 8:28 Correctly

Speaker 1 2:15

There's a well-known verse in the Bible that calls for a higher perspective, a deeper understanding based on a higher altitude, so to speak. The Apostle Paul speaks as he attempts to take us, by means of the Spirit's control, to the height of heaven's vantage point in this text and effectively tells us to view life differently, not based on just what we see on earth, but from heaven's perspective that we just sang about. The hills and the valleys of life, the twists and all those turns are part of a divine masterpiece. We're going to need a higher altitude to come up with that perspective and attitude. The verse is well known to you If you're older in the faith. It's Romans, chapter 8 and verse 28. I invite you to turn there.

Speaker 1 3:22

Paul is writing to the Roman believers. They are struggling to make sense of a number of things, a number of difficulties, a number of issues in the Christian life. And he's writing to us as well. And he writes here these words. 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. Read a little further in verse 29. Here's where he's taking us. For those of me, foreknew, he also predestined to being conformed into the image of his Son.

Speaker 1 4:09

Now, before we dive into what Paul means here, let me give you a word of caution. Let me point out four misunderstandings, four misuses of this text. First of all, this text is not an explanation for evil. There are other passages that explain the fallenness of mankind and how God allows mankind the freedom to make moral decisions. And those moral decisions may in fact end up, or in other parts be, immoral decisions, violent decisions, leaving even the believer open to those immoral or evil or violent acts. Romans 8.28 is not some quick promise, some sort of special protection from the evil of the world that we live in. It does promise to take the evil and for us to understand that God will use everything to turn it into our good and for his glory.

Speaker 1 5:15

Secondly, this verse is not a mandate against grieving, grief or sorrow. You don't need to be embarrassed about grieving or sorrowing over your loss, your pain, your questions. I've been in funeral homes. I remember one where people walked past the grieving widow and they said to her don't cry, remember Romans 8.28. I just kind of wanted to choke him in Christian love. You know, I suppose they would lecture Jesus for weeping at the tomb of Lazarus. This is not a little happy verse. You slap on the back of people who are grieving.

Speaker 1 6:00

Third, this verse is not an excuse for avoiding the challenges of life. Hey, god's going to work everything out. I don't need to take a step of faith, I don't need to risk some decision. I don't need to evangelize, I don't need to sacrifice. I'll wait till the coast is clear. He said he'd work everything out. I'm waiting. When I see it all clear, I'll move. That verse isn't talking about this perspective. Fourth, romans 8.28 is not a promise for a trouble-free life. This verse doesn't promise the absence of trouble. It provides the right perspective because trouble is going to come. We'd like to use Romans 8.28 like a rabbit's foot, a little lucky charm. We're going to assume that this verse means that everything's going to turn out and we can see it all good in a matter of hours or days, maybe weeks.

Four Guarantees of God's Purpose

Speaker 1 7:14

Some time ago I read the biography of George Whitefield, the two-volume sets, and God used him to fan the flames of the great awakening of the 1700s. I've often illustrated from his life. One of my favorites is when he learned of a widow with a number of children. The landlord had recently told her he was going to remove her from their premises because she couldn't pay the rent. So Whitfield, when he learned about it saddled up and, with a friend of his, went and gave her his own money, gave her five guineas. I don't know what a guinea is, sounds like a furry animal. So I did a little digging around and found out that in today's economy a guinea would be worth $200. And he gave her five of them. So with that $1,000, he got her back in the house and took care of some needs that she had.

Speaker 1 8:18

Well, whitfield and his friend got back on their horses to make their journey home and before long a robber came along. Whitfield's friend was just in the process of chiding Whitfield for giving her money that he really couldn't afford to lose. Whitfield, if you know his biography, he was always in debt, couldn't afford the ministries he started, along with the orphanage, always needing money. Well, this robber gallops up and demands their money at gunpoint. Whitfield didn't have any, so his friend emptied his pockets. After the robber galloped away, whitfield chided him. How much better. He said that I gave my money to the widow and you gave yours to the thief. How much better he said that I gave my money to the widow and you gave yours to the thief.

Speaker 1 9:05

Well, they continued on down the road in silence and all of a sudden that robber came galloping back toward them. He rode up and then he demanded Whitfield's coat. It was winter. Whitfield had a heavy winter coat. Whitfield had a heavy winter coat. Whitfield obeyed, but then asked if he could exchange it with the robber's old tattered coat in exchange, because it was cold. The robber agreed and then galloped away.

Speaker 1 9:34

Whitfield's friend chided him now and said now neither of us have any money, but at least I've got my coat. Neither of us have any money, but at least I've got my coat. Well, a few minutes later they saw the robber galloping back toward them again, and now they're fearing for their lives. They've given him everything. Look at what he won now. So they spurred on their horses, arrived at a village just in time. It turned the thief away. He was no doubt mortified because when Whitfield took off the man's tattered coat was no doubt mortified because when Whitfield took off the man's tattered coat he found in one of the pockets his five guineas and in another pocket 100 more. That's $20,000.

Speaker 1 10:13

Now, that's my kind of Romans 8, 28 story. I'm going to apply it to that. That's for me. Apply to that, that's for me. All things work together for good in one afternoon. What if Whitfield had been killed? What if he never got any money back? Would it be Romans 8.28?

Speaker 1 10:49

It's interesting, if you look at the text, that Paul is not saying that everything is good. He's using the language of a weaver, telling us that God is weaving all the threads of life together, ultimately for good. We might not see it anytime soon. We may not see some threads pieced together with understanding until we leave earth for heaven, for heaven. Now. Paul provides here in this text four reassuring truths. I want to call them four guarantees. This is what he is saying. The first guarantee is this the guarantee of God's Word. You'll notice Paul begins with these words, for we know.

Speaker 1 11:53

You might notice earlier, in verse 26, paul writes for we do not know how to pray as we should. There are times when we do not know how to pray, but even when we do not know how to pray, we do know God has a purpose. Now you might notice that Paul does not write for we hope, for we think, for we wish. Aren't you glad he didn't begin this verse by writing? For I feel there's a big difference between feeling and knowing. We might be feeling the opposite of what god is actually doing. We might feel that god is not in control. We might feel that god has abandoned us. We might feel that god doesn't care. The truth is we're in a fallen world. We are fallen human beings. We're surrounded by a fallen humanity, and it's good to remember that our feeler is fallen too.

Speaker 1 13:00

Let me make another observation here. Paul does not write for we apostles. No, we'd say, yeah, you know, apostles are supposed to think like that. You know they get paid to write things Like that. No, paul doesn't write for Apostles. No, he writes for we. No, you In Rome, you In North, that's you and me. Keep in mind, paul is not saying this is my opinion. Let me tell you, you found it true. When the hills are high and the valleys are deep, you don't really want anybody's opinion, you don't really care about anybody's opinion, even Paul's. This is the Word of God. You can bank on it, for we know God is weaving everything according to his divine purpose.

Speaker 1 13:59

Now, in the New Testament, there are several ways of saying that we know something. The English language is somewhat limited, greek's much more expressive. One Greek cognate for knowing is gnosko, which means to know by means of experience. I know that oven is hot because I touched it and by means of experience. I know that oven is hot because I touched it and by means of experience I now know something. There's another cognate, and that's oida that is. You don't know this by personal experience. You know this because it's the truth and you've been told it. You believed it. You didn't touch the oven because you believed the propositional truth. It was hot. Therefore, you learned by oida, you learned by fact and you believed the fact. That's the word Paul uses here in Romans 8.28.

Speaker 1 14:48

He's not saying we know that God is working all things together for good because we're personally experiencing that right now. No, we know because he said it, it's a fact. We know God is in control because God said it. God said so and you need to surrender to him, like little children to a mother or father who finally says upon all their objections I said so. That's all you need to know. And it is impossible for God to lie when he speaks. Hebrews 6.18. This is the guarantee of God's word.

Speaker 1 15:47

Secondly, there is this guarantee of God's involvement. Paul writes further for we know this that God causes. In other words, we not only believe, but we believe that God is involved behind what we believe God is the cause, he is the completer of his divine purpose, and that's great news, isn't it? Because if the will of God, if the purposes of God, would be fulfilled, dependent upon our faithfulness, our diligence, our cleverness, our intentions of God and God's purposes would end up a lot like our New Year's resolutions here in August, if you remember what they even are Already. You're now going home again by means of Krispy Kreme, down 401 South into Fuqua. Second light on the right not that I would know. Paul writes to the Philippians I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will complete it In that day that is when you see Jesus Christ. He will complete what he's doing in you and with you. He's the completer and I'm so grateful he is Now.

The Legacy of Corrie and Betsy

Speaker 1 17:18

Third, paul refers to the guarantee of God's control. Paul writes for we know that God causes all things, all things. I looked this up in several Greek lexicons, discovered something amazing. You know what the word all means in the Greek language. It means all. All means everything. You could translate this God causes everything to work together, so everything is entirely comprehensively under his sovereign guidance. See, he's elevating our attitude to a higher altitude to understand that when God seems to be doing nothing, he's actually doing everything, even in situations where you might think you know better than God, and you and I pray like that Lord. Let me remind you of the timing here. Evidently your calendar's a little off. No, the psalmist says as for God, his way is blameless. He never makes a mistake. He never makes a mistake, even to us. That twist might come unexpectedly. That valet Go deeper. Even when you're not sure he's heard your cry, he has. The psalmist says the Lord hears the needy and does not abandon his wounded ones. Fourth, let me point you to the guarantee of God's design. Paul writes further. For we know that God causes all things to work together, for good To work together.

Speaker 1 19:25

Synergo gives us our word, synergy, synergism. Webster defines synergism as the combined action of two or more things which have a greater effect together than the sum of their individual parts. In other words, any one thing might not be all that productive, it might not be all that positive or encouraging or helpful. That one thing never fits seems to work out. Perhaps later you might realize how that one thing brought about another thing which affected a different thing, resulting in the final thing. But remember, whether we realize it or not, whether we see it or understand it or not, paul isn't saying we will. He's saying that God is doing just that with everything, all the parts woven together.

Speaker 1 20:25

Ultimately, verse 29 informs us so that we will be further conformed into the likeness of Christ. By the way, this is a perspective given he writes here to those who love God and are called according to his purposes. Those are phrases tantamount to believers, the redeemed, those who've come to faith in the Son of God. We're to live with that kind of perspective. That missed appointment, that introduction, that tragedy, that conversation, that program, that hospital room, that loss, that accident, that hospital room, that loss, that accident, they're the hills and the valleys of divine art. We may not see it now, doesn't make sense on earth, but we will see it one day. And so we pray, Lord, raise the altitude of our attitude until that coming day when we finally literally soar above all the twists and turns and are given the perspective and understanding of his masterpiece.

Speaker 1 21:44

I don't think there's any biography that has demonstrated the sovereign control of God, even over the evil of the world, than the legacy of Corey and Betsy Ten Boom. Betsy was the oldest. If I can review briefly their testimony, betsy was born seven years before Corrie, the youngest of four children. The girls would remain unmarried and, frankly, inseparable over the decades. They were the daughters of a famous watchmaker in the Netherlands, a Dutch family who followed Christ faithfully. Their mother had died young. The girls grew up and lived and worked in their family home, which served also as the shop, the store for their father's watchmaking, watch repairing business, which had become quite successful. In fact, corrie will become the first woman to be licensed in the Netherlands as a watchmaker.

Speaker 1 22:51

During World War II, when Hitler's troops were invading the Netherlands, the Ten Boon family began hiding Jews to keep them from the concentration camps they'd heard about. They built a secret hideaway in Corrie's third-floor bedroom, a small room hidden behind a fake wall of brick that they'd actually built there on the third floor. Marcia and I had the privilege years ago of visiting their home and looking into that secret place where more than 800 Jewish people of all ages passed through at one point or another over the course of those four years. Eventually, an informant tipped off the Gestapo and even though they came to the home on more than one occasion, raiding it trying to find that hiding place. They never could find it, but on one particular raid they found enough evidence. They knew that they were hiding Jewish people. They were all arrested. Within 10 days of being arrested, casper Ten Boom, the father, passed away. He died. Several family members would die in concentration camps. Some would survive.

Speaker 1 24:15

Corrie and Betsy eventually ended up in a women's concentration camp called Ravensbrück. In reality it was a killing place. Nearly 50,000 women died there, starved to death or died from medical experiments on their bodies, or they were gassed and then poisoned and then burned in furnaces. In that concentration camp, betsy would inspire a movement through her influence on Corrie and all the women. Betsy would lead many of these women to faith in Christ. She would teach nightly Bible studies with the Bible they had smuggled in. She would pray with the women. Betsy would die from a multitude of illnesses inside the camp. Just four months before the war ended she was 59 years old.

Speaker 1 25:21

Two weeks after Betsy died, 52-year-old Corrie was rather miraculously released, and it was all because of a clerical error. She found out that one week after her surprise release, all the women her age and older 50 years and up were taken to the gas chamber and killed. She knew that God had spared her life and at Betsy's earlier urging, while they're in the concentration camp, corey, you're going to get out and when you get out, take the testimony of God's faithfulness to your world, and she will. She will spend the rest of her life telling the story of the Hiding Place. You may be familiar with that title. It's the title of her international best-selling book, published in 1971. Corrie will pass away in 1983, the age of 91. 83, the age of 91. Now, if you read the Hiding Place or the newer biography entitled the Watchmaker's Daughter and I encourage you to do so, I've read both of them you'll know why Romans 8.28 comes to mind.

Speaker 1 26:46

Now, while Corrie, because of her nearly 40 years of ministry, is well known, betsy was actually the mentor. Betsy was actually the shining light in Ravensbrück, the discipler, the teacher. She profoundly influenced Corrie to live for Christ. In a more profound manner, she seemed to have that higher perspective of trust. Even within the barbed wire of their concentration camp. She would be beaten and mistreated by one particular female guard who just seemed to have it out for her, and yet she would urge Corrie toward the spirit of forgiveness. Forgiveness, she would say that she sees them all as quote broken souls in need of God's love.

The Unsinkable Plan of God

Speaker 1 27:48

Now their particular barrack in Ravensbrück was infested with fleas. Fleas were everywhere. One morning she's reading to the women from 1 Thessalonians to rejoice in all things, and she just sort of stops and announces that they need to thank God for the fleas. Somehow she said they were in the will of God. Corrie wasn't convinced. Not many of them were and she protested. She said this I will not thank God for allowing fleas. She would say often that she didn't know who Betsy was. She thought she was from another planet at times, but Betsy was persuasive. Eventually all the women in that barrack thanked God for whatever his purposes might be with all those fleas. And then it's interesting she writes it, or the biographer writes it. In the months that followed they realized they never had any surprise visits from guards. They were left alone where they could sing, pray, study and read the Bible aloud without fear. They learned later that guards avoided their barrack because of the fleas and Betsy was suffering with illness, several of them near the end of her life. She was the one. This is often attributed to Corrie, but Betsy was the one who said this wonderful statement there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. Isn't that good? There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still.

Speaker 1 29:24

Corrie would adopt the influence of her sister's light and testimony. Though not easy for her, she began to imitate that legacy left to her. She became her own legacy of love and grace. She would come to personally forgive the man who informed on her family. She forgave a male guard who had made her, in particular, suffer greatly. She would one day meet that cruel female guard who made her sister suffer. Corrie would share the gospel with her and then lead her in prayer, as that former guard gave her life to Christ. Corrie would build several retreat centers for those who suffered mentally, physically, in the war, including people in her region who had collaborated with the Nazis. Even them. Her biographer wrote that Corrie would spend the final 39 years of her life after she was released giving her testimony of love, forgiveness and grace to everyone.

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Students in Uganda. Forgiveness and grace to everyone. Students in Uganda. Farmers in Cuba. Factory workers in Uzbekistan. Villagers in Siberia, prisoners in San Quentin, officials in the Pentagon, lepers in Africa. She would speak to people in more than 60 countries, countries she would often say that the will of God was her hiding place, that he was in control, in charge. And to this day, in your life and mine, beloved, he is weaving every event, every circumstance, good and evil, joyful and sorrowful, every hill, every valley, every twist, every turn. Let me give you a recent example, more recent, I read this A pastor returned to his pulpit a few weeks after his son took his own life, and this was the text of his sermon, romans 8, 28.

Speaker 1 32:14

He read it and then he looked at his congregation and said, and I quote I cannot make my son's death fit into this passage.

Speaker 1 32:21

It is impossible for me to see how anything good can come from this. Yet I realize I only see in part, I only know in part, and the part this part doesn't make sense to me. He goes on to say it's like the miracle of a shipyard. Almost every part of our great ships are made of steel. If you were to take any single part of that vessel, be the steel plate from the hull or steel from its rudder, and throw it into the ocean, it would immediately sink. Steel parts don't float, but when the shipbuilder is finished, when the last plate has been riveted in place, that massive steel ship slips into the he applies it. But when the divine shipbuilder has finally finished, even this part will be riveted, together with every other part, into God's unsinkable plan. That is Romans 8, 28. He is orchestrating it all toward what we will one day become, what we will one day see. He's working everything together now. It's guaranteed. It's guaranteed, he said so For our good and His glory.