Corrie ten Boom tells the story about an old Russian woman she met during the Cold War. 

She was a woman of faith, but Bibles were not allowed. It was a time of persecution for Christians.

The woman was so sick she couldn’t get off her couch. But she had one finger she could still use. With that finger, she slowly translated the Bible and other Christian books into Russian.

Corrie came to pray for her and asked why in the world God wouldn’t heal this godly woman. That’s when the husband jumped in: “God has a purpose in her sickness. Every other Christian in the city is watched closely by the secret police. But because she has been sick for so long, no one ever looks in on her. They leave us alone, and she is the only person who can translate, undetected by the police.”*

What an incredible perspective! God was able to work in a situation of desperation and illness to bring his Word of hope to persecuted Christians.

We call this providence—the invisible hand of God directing, guiding and providing for his people.

A powerful biblical example of this is Joseph. He was betrayed, sold, imprisoned, neglected and mistreated. However, over time he rose to be second-in-command in Egypt and saved many people, including his brothers who betrayed him in the first place. Joseph could see the hand of God. He said: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

Your life will have elements which are less than ideal. Maybe you’re a bed-ridden woman in Russia. Maybe you’re in a jail. Maybe you’ve been betrayed. Maybe you are carrying a burden you never would have imagined.

But God is still God. He can bring good out of bad. 

This is true not only for other people, but for you as well.

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Notes and extra content:

—The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week and resumes on February 19, 2024.

—*Kyle Idleman, Aha (Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2014), 186-7.

—Bible quotes are from the NIV.