The Prayers of Corrie

           Corrie ten Boom was a remarkable woman from Holland - she and her family rescued many Jewish people during the Nazi occupation of her country.  Corrie was thrown into prison for that, -- her whole family -- but she survived the Nazi concentration camps and after she got out of that camp, she went on to travel the world to share Christ with millions.  When she was in her early 90's, very old, a series of strokes severely incapacitated her, after which she retreated to the sanctuary of this little house, her small home in Southern California.  But Corrie's ministry did not stop. Her house-when she was in her 90's -- became a sanctuary of prayer.

            Shortly before the Lord took her home to heaven, I went to visit Tante Corrie.  I wheeled into her house, and the air was fragrant with the aroma of European coffee.  A clocked ticked and a kettle whistled.  I sat in her parlor, enjoying old photographs of the ten Boom family.  I waited for Pam, her helper, to wheel Corrie out of the bedroom.  When she arrived, we talked-actually I did most of the talking, since the strokes had severely limited Corrie's speech.  I also sang to her several of her favorite hymns.  Oh, what a grand visit it was!  We both had a lot in common in terms of ministry - Billy Graham's production company had made a film of her life called "The Hiding Place," and a year or two later, they made a film of my life that they called "Joni." 

            Anyway, before I left, we prayed.  I watched Corrie, she grasped her paralyzed hand with her good hand and then, with great effort, entwined the fingers in kind of like a prayer clasp.  Pam, she understood this gesture, kneeled by Corrie's wheelchair and looked up into that determined face and said, "Tante Corrie, may we pray with you, also?"

            We bowed our heads and Corrie began.  I could not understand a word she said.  It was part Dutch, part English, and part I don't know what-but her voice was strong as she garbled and mumbled and prayed earnestly in the Spirit. I tell you what, the Spirit was, in fact, the only one who could understand her.

            God could understand Corrie's jumbled intercession, her sighing and groaning and the words were all mixed up.  After all, Romans 8:26-27 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

            Today, friend, learn a lesson from Tante Corrie ten Boom.  Don't try to diagram the path of your prayers in the Spirit, or wrap a precise theological definition around them.  Just know that God knows your every thought, and all He wants you to do is voice it, to pray it, to say it as best you can.  He has no difficulty sorting out English from Dutch from jumbled, boggled words.  Just open your heart, and speak before God like Tanta Corrie.  

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