December 19
Bible Reading: Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:24
Corrie and Betsie ten Boom risked their lives to hide Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. When the Nazis discovered their efforts, the two sisters, in their middle years, were sent to a concentration camp. There, they endured unimaginable suffering, yet in the midst of such horrors, they ministered hope to countless fellow prisoners. Their barracks became a place of Bible study, and the message of God’s love flourished even in the most dire of circumstances.
Betsie, however, grew gravely ill and was transferred to a prison hospital. As she lay on the floor of the facility, she whispers to Corrie, “Tell people what we’ve learned here… there is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” Betsie died the next day. Then, through an inexplicable clerical error, Corrie was miraculously released. Following her release, she forgave the guards who had held her captive. Through her books and speaking tours, Corrie touched millions of lives. She once said, “I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest, darkest hell that men can create… I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them.”
Corrie and Betsie’s story is a profound testimony to the truth that God is always present, no matter the circumstances. There is no place in God’s creation where He is not. As King David wrote in Psalm 139:7-10, there is no place one can go to escape God’s presence. Whether in the highest heavens or the depths of the earth, God is always with us.
It is important to note that God is not in everything, as some forms of pantheism suggest. Pantheism posits that everything is part of an all-encompassing god. Instead, the Bible teaches that God, in His person, is Spirit (John 4:24) and is present everywhere in His creation. As Paul tells the people of Athens on Mars Hill, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
For those who have accepted Christ, God’s presence is not only universal but also personal. Through the Holy Spirit, believers are never truly alone. Whether we are at home, at work, or enduring hardship, the Spirit of God is with us, offering comfort and strength (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
While God’s presence is a great comfort to those who have chosen to follow Him, it also carries a sobering truth for those who reject Him. The Bible warns that, when God’s judgment comes, no one will be able to hide from His sight (Amos 9:2-4). But for those who trust in Jesus Christ, there is refuge in His love. Jesus, the One who left His heavenly home to dwell among us, died for our sins and rose again, offering salvation and bringing us to God (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Peter 3:18).
“I’ve experienced His presence in the deepest, darkest hell that men can create… I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them.”—Corrie ten Boom
OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD
Father of spirits, natures’s God,
Our inmost thoughts are known to thee;
Thou, Lord, canst hear each idle word,
And every private action see.
Could we, on morning’s swiftest wings,
Pursue our flight through trackless air,
Or dive beneath deep ocean’s springs,
Thy presence still would meet us there.
In vain may guilt attempt to fly,
Concealed beneath the pall of night;
One glance from thy all-piercing eye
Can kindle darkness into light.
Search thou our hearts, and there destroy
Each evil thought, each secret sin,
And fit us for those realms of joy,
Where nought impure shall enter in.
LookingtoJesus 