According to Biography. Com., Corrie ten Boom, was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, in 1892, and grew up in a devoutly religious family. During World War II, she and her family harbored hundreds of Jews to protect them from arrest by Nazi authorities. Betrayed by a fellow Dutch citizen, the entire family was imprisoned. However, she and her family saved about 800 lives during the Holocaust. Corrie survived and started a worldwide ministry, later telling her story in a book entitled “The Hiding Place.” A thought-provoking question she once asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
Sometimes, the toils of life can be so burdensome that it may seem as though prayer is futile. That is when it is time to say what Jesus said when He was tempted by the devil: “But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Matthew 16:23 ESV). Prayer will work, but it has to come from the heart, and the person who is praying must believe that God will hear and will answer. In other words, your petition to God must be effective and fervent. God already knows our needs and desires, but He wants us to come to Him and ask for them in the name of Jesus Christ, His Son. However, don’t wait until you are in need or want something to go to God. ESTABLISH A PRAYER LIFE! Do you know people from whom you never hear a word unless they want something? Well, some of us treat God the same way. Pray often, for the Word says, “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17 KJV). Therefore, let prayer be your steering wheel, not your spare tire.
Remember that your prayer does not always have to be one of requests, but of thanksgiving. Sometimes when you go to God in prayer, just thank Him for all that He has done for you and all that you know He will do if you should remain faithful. Let your requests be made known to Him in another prayer. Pray for others. Pray for world peace. Pray for your relationship with God. Keep the prayer wheel turning, and you won’t need a spare when it comes to your needs being supplied.
Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
