By the Waters of Babylon – Ps. 137:1
Corrie ten Boom was a woman who, during World War II, worked with the Dutch underground. Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their elderly father were all Christians. Because they were Christian, they felt that they should help all those who came to their door fleeing from the Nazi terror. The trio started helping Jews and were soon running a virtual hotel for those who needed a place to hide. Regrettably, Corrie, Betsie, and their dad were eventually discovered and imprisoned. The sisters were separated from their father and sent to Ravensbruck, a death camp, where they lived in horrible conditions. In time, the dad and Betsie died in the camps, but Corrie survived.
In one of her books, Corrie tells about the last time she saw her father. As she and Betsie were being led away, they passed a room where they saw their father seated, waiting to learn his own fate. “Father,” Corrie cried out, “God be with you!” The old man responded softly, “And with you, my daughters.”
The sisters weren’t merely expressing a wish or hope that God would be with their father, and he was not merely responding in kind. Instead, all three were of them were being prophetic. No matter how terrible their immediate future, m matter whether they lived or died, they were confident that God would be with them all. That is what we call prophetic confidence.
{NLB: for more information on this story, see The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom]
