Corrie ten Boom, Her Story
6. Frustration
EVEN IF WE have learned how to deal with anxiety, worry, and fear, the enemy has yet another powerful weapon he uses on us—frustration. Frustration is dangerous because it is so simple to blame it on others, to think there is nothing we can do to overcome the problem. And yet even the most frustrating of circumstances can be turned to good, if we use the opportunities we have.
I find it a great frustration to have a message but have no one to give it to. On one trip to Russia I had such a frustrating time! I wanted to tell everybody, especially the communists, about the Lord Jesus Christ. However, whenever I tried to talk to people on the streets of Moscow, I found they would always be looking over their shoulders. Finally they would rush away, afraid someone would see them talking to the old woman with a Bible. I became so frustrated, anxious, and filled with despair. I was in Russia, but I could find no one who would listen!
One afternoon I met a young woman, and we chatted about ordinary things— the weather, the tulips in Holland, the price of gasoline. I sensed she was hungry to hear more about the Lord, but I knew she was afraid to talk in the park. I invited her to come to my hotel room for a good talk.
"Oh, no," she whispered, glancing every which way. "The tourist hotel rooms here are the most dangerous places to talk. There is a hidden microphone in each room. Every word you speak is put on a tape and played before the officials." She excused herself and moved quickly away from me.
The next morning my companion and I were sitting in our hotel room, totally defeated. We had been in Russia one week and had not been able to speak to a single communist about the Lord Jesus.
Suddenly I spotted something on the floor, just under the edge of the bed. It was a pattern of tiny holes, like those in the top of a pepper shaker. Suddenly I had a tremendous inspiration. "Thank You, Lord," I said to myself. "That surely must be the place where the microphone is hidden." Reaching for my Bible, I bent low over the holes in the floor and began to speak in a deliberate voice.
"You who listen have many problems, just like every other human being. Two of these problems are common to all men—sin and death. I have here in my hand a book. It almost bursts with good news. In this book—it is called a Bible—you can read everything you need to know about the answers to these problems. The answer is found in the life of a man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for the sins of the whole world, and for your sins also. He carried the punishment you and I deserve. But not only did He die for us, He rose from the dead and is alive today. Yes, He is even willing to live in you through His Holy Spirit.
If you will accept Him, He will give you the power to overcome death also and live forever with God in heaven."
For almost five minutes I preached into the hidden microphone, knowing that my sermon was not only being heard, but was being recorded on a tape recorder and passed on to superiors. What a joy! I finished my sermon by saying, "Jesus said once, 'Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Since all men in Russia know the meaning of labor, then it means that Jesus must love Russians in a special way. When He says "all,' He is talking to all who listen to this tape."
From that day on, I gave the microphone a little sermon every morning, bringing a simple Gospel message and hope to my unseen hearers.
After leaving Moscow, we traveled to Leningrad, where once again I discovered the pepper-shaker holes in the floor. That night I gave a five-minute sermon to my hidden listeners. The next morning, two serious men came in and took a seat at the table next to ours at breakfast. From their appearance and the way they dressed, I was sure they were members of the secret police.
For a moment | was disturbed and frustrated. Then I saw what God was doing. My microphone sermon had brought results! Instead of being worried, I should rejoice. This was simply another opportunity to present the Gospel.
I asked my companion, in English, "Do you know that you can become a child of God?"
She immediately grasped what I was doing and began to play her role. "I can never be a child of God," she said, shaking her head. "I am not good enough."
"Ah ha," I answered. "That is exactly what I expected you to say! But you see, only sinners are eligible." As we talked I kept noticing the two men at the next table. They tried to pretend they were not interested. One man had a newspaper in front of his face. But I could see they were leaning in our direction, trying to hear every word.
We continued our conversation, speaking as loudly as we could without mak-
JESUS IS VICTOR
ing it obvious. We stayed at it until we were satisfied these men could never say they had not heard the Gospel. We even repeated the whole conversation in German, in case they couldn't understand my English!
Do you think I was playing a silly game, talking into hidden microphones and giving my testimony at breakfast? It was no game at all! After one whole week of frustration, I was at last giving my message to the communists. Not in the way I would have preferred, it is true. But who can say that those few men who heard me were not important to the Lord? Even when we are denied a big opportunity, we must make the best of all the little ones that come our way.
I remember a story about the little boy and his sister. They were trying to climb a steep mountain. The little girl began to complain, "Why did God put all these rocks here?"
Her brother reached back and patted her on the shoulder. "These are really stepping stones," he said. "God put them here to help us reach the top." Many people are worried and frustrated because they never have the opportunity to do what they want to do. I have found the seeming obstacles are really opportunities within themselves. If we do what our hand finds to do, then God will open up broader places of service.
Many years ago I heard of an old Dutchman and his young son. They had to walk home at night across the polders, the dried sea bottom where the water had been pumped out and held back by dikes. The little boy was afraid, for he knewthere were still deep pockets of water and many patches of quicksand on the polders.
All they had to give them light on the walk was a small kerosene lantern.
"Please, Father," the boy begged, "don't make me walk out there. It is so dark, and the lamp only gives light enough for one step at a time."
The father took his son's hand in his own. "That's right, but one step at a time is all the light we need. And if we walk in the light we have, we have enough light for the next step. However, if we stand still, waiting for enough light to see the entire way home, then even the light we have will burn out, and we will be left in the dark."
And so they made their way home safely, one step at a time, walking in the light. Every obstacle, every frustration, can become an opportunity if we trust God and walk in the light we have.
From My Notebook
YOU ARE ON the road to success if you realize that failure is only a detour.
In order to realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the stress of the storm.
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.
Our trust and hope are not in the promises, but in the One who made the promises.
Our faith may falter, but His faithfulness, never!
We are to do heavenly business. The earthly part of it is only a detail.
Some wish to live within the sound Of church and chapel bell
I want to run a rescue shop Within a yard of hell.
C. T. STUDD
We will see more and more that we are chosen not because of our ability but because of His power that will be demonstrated in our not being able.
What can you and I pray for leaders? Pray for the Christian leader that God will guide him. Pray for the non-Christian leader that God will control him.
Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.
Luther said, "Work as though He will not be coming for a thousand years. Be ready as if He should come today."
Men have to go through many experiences in order to get the spiritual vision which is needed to see the divine plan. A film is always developed in a dark room.