The Hiding Place

My teenage daughter had not been feeling well, and I had just obtained an interesting book. I decided to read out loud to her to help take her mind off of things. The book was intriguing so each evening, thereafter, before she went to bed, I read a chapter to her. It took us almost 3 weeks to finish the book, but it was something that touched both of our hearts. Briefly, the outline of the story is as follows.

Behind a bedroom closet, in the Ten Boom home, a secret room served as a hiding place for rescued Jews. From there, they were smuggled to a safe place away from the German occupation of the Netherlands.

Only thirty inches deep, the tiny hiding place could hold up to eight people! Access was provided by a small hatch door. Upstairs, waiting Jews occupied several unused rooms, ever-alert for the sound of a buzzer. In the event of a raid, this system would warn them to rush to the hiding place!

Food was rationed but Corrie ten Boom was able to secure additional ration books to smuggle food for those she rescued. Because of her efforts, many Jews were saved from being killed! She and her sister, suspected of hiding Jews and breaking rationing rules, were eventually arrested and sent to prison. Their Christian faith kept them from bitterness and despair, even as they suffered from hard work, from vermin, and from lack of food.

With small pages of the Bible that had been hidden in Corrie’s clothing, she and her sister were able to hold Bible studies without interruption from the guards. A flea infestation in their prison quarters guaranteed that guards would not bother them! The fleas provided a HIDING PLACE, so Corrie and her sister could freely have a daily time of worship.

Corrie’s sister died in prison, but Corrie was eventually released and returned home. She began to write, and soon after, the book The Hiding Place was published.

I find it interesting that the Bible speaks of various hiding places, and secret places of many types.

In Exodus 2:2-3, the mother of Moses hid the baby three months. “And when she could not longer hide him at home, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she hid it in the flags by the river’s brink.”

The morning newspaper of Joshua’s day might have read, “Harlot Hides Spies!”

Joshua 2:6 says, “Rahab had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid the spies with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.”

God always has a plan. You are not hidden from the Lord, and He knows your every step. You may not be able to write a book as Corrie Ten Boom did, but you can let your light shine where you are.

This brings us to one final thought about secret places. Jesus encourages us in Luke 11:33, not to hide our candles, (our testimony) but rather to hold our light high, allowing it to shine where all may see our witness. No, let us not be ‘Secret Christians’ but let us be among those one who vibrantly share their faith with others!



Hid with Christ IN God