Today there are many issues about which one can be concerned—economic slump, housing bust, oil crisis, America at war, and the list goes on. To be sure, this seems to be the confluence of more potential worries than any other period of my lifetime. But then I also just finished Corrie Ten Boom’s Hiding Place. In it the idea is put forth that for the Christian, there is no place on earth that is safer than any other place on earth. This truth is difficult to fathom in Corrie’s context—first, the terrifying, constant fear of being caught by the Nazis in Holland, then (after she is caught) the horrendous, dark, cold treatment and environment of the extermination camp. And yet the truth held fast.
If this is the case in one of the darkest of times of human existence, surely it is the case in 21st century America. But given our expected standard of living, many economists would have us fill our minds with anxiety and fear as they train us to expect certain, comforts, safety nets, and financial returns. Could it be that God wants us to find our security not in financial securities but in eternal securities? Could it be that we have so surrounded ourselves with earthly comforts that there is no longer any room in our hearts to long for heavenly comforts? And could it be that we are so secure in our vocations, our 401(k) balances and IRAs that we no longer need to trust God?
It is a scary thought, but I believe that a season of intense economic and physical suffering would be good for me, for the American church, and for our country. Maybe then for the first time in life many would find what is the one true and safe hiding place.
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