God Foretold What Would Happen in the Future

'Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that were to follow'. (1 Peter 1:10,11)

It is the early morning of the 10th of May, 1940. At 4 a.m. Betsie and Corrie wake up abruptly on hearing bomb explosions that light up the sky.

They jump out of their beds and hurry to the living room: “The war has begun!” they shout to each other. They kneel down, and for the rest of the night pray for their country, their queen, and the wounded people. Then Betsie starts to pray for the enemy who causes this war. Corrie whispers: “Lord, I cannot pray for these people who cause all this pain and fear and trauma, but please listen to Betsie’s prayer.”

At that moment Corrie receives a vision in which she finds herself in the Market Square in front of the town hall and opposite the St. Bavo Church in Haarlem. She’s sitting on a huge old-fashioned farm wagon pulled by giant black horses. Betsie is on the wagon as well, with Father Casper and brother Willem, sister Nollie and many more beloved friends and family. The horrific aspect of this vision is that they cannot get off the wagon and are brought to an unknown place far away, all against their will. Corrie jumps up and exclaims: “Betsie, I’ve seen something horrific!” She shares the vision with Betsie and asks: “Was this my imagination, fed by fear or was this a vision from God?” Betsie replies: “If God foretells us the difficult times that are coming in the future, it indicates that He knows about it and that is all we have to know. He reveals this to us, to confirm to us that this is all in His hand as well.”

On the 29th of February 1944, Corrie is betrayed and taken from the Market Square to an unknown place. And all of the beloved ones she saw in her vision are with her. It is not on an old-fashioned farm wagon but in a city bus with which they are brought to the prison of Scheveningen to encounter 10 horrific months.

To Reflect upon:
Sometimes God foretells something of the future through our thoughts or a persistent inner conviction, or through dreams and visions. Once it happens, we often know for sure it was a God-given vision. He never foretells the future to frighten us, but to confirm to us that He holds our future in His hands

Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, that we do have a hopeful future, no matter what happens, because our lives are hidden with Christ in You, and even through suffering and hard times, You are the Victor and we have the victory through You. Amen.