(Editor’s note: The following is a submission to The Recorder’s weekly column titled “Faith Matters.” Each Saturday, a different faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal religious perspective in this space. For information on becoming part of this series, email religion@recorder.com or call 413-772-0261, ext. 265.)
By PASTOR MARK BRUSSEL
North Leverett Baptist Church
Eight months ago I became the pastor of North Leverett Baptist Church. After being a missionary in Europe for over 20 years, this has been quite a change. How does a Dutch person end up in Western Massachusetts? I can tell you that the journey was full of challenges and obstacles, but it’s been good. All along there was this rock solid conviction that God would get us at the place of His choosing, and He did. The Body of Christ transcends cultural and national differences. It’s been a blessing to grow together with believers in Christ.
When we come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Almighty God becomes our Father. Most fathers love their children and want to take care of them. Our Heavenly Father is the perfect father. His care is deeper and wider and purer than any earthly father could ever provide. As all involved in our move here waited and prayed, we became beneficiaries of that care as He challenged us trust Him.
Most of us don’t like to depend on someone else. We like to figure things out ourselves. When you put your trust in someone you feel vulnerable. We prefer to be self-sufficient. So trusting God is easier said than done. But God is of a different category. He is not a glorified human being, He is God! He doesn’t struggle with ill-will or selfishness, the type of things that causes humans to break trust. The Bible teaches that He is faithful and powerful and good. He invites us to place our trust and hope in Him (Proverbs 3:5,6).
Examples of this kind of faith inspire. Take for instance the story of Corrie ten Boom. Corrie lived in The Netherlands when World War II broke out. She became actively involved with the Dutch resistance and risked her life, hiding Jews. Eventually she was betrayed and sent to Nazi concentration camps. But her faith in Jesus Christ sustained her amidst the atrocities.
After the war, she spent the rest of her life traveling around the world sharing the message of God’s love and forgiveness that can be found in Jesus. One of her favorite sayings was: “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” This was not cheap talk for her. She had lived in one of the deepest pits the world has ever seen.
The seeds of her faith were sown when she was still small. When Corrie was a young girl, she struggled with debilitating anxiety. She feared the death of her parents and sister. One evening her father sat down on the edge of her bed and gave her a powerful illustration of what it means to trust God.
“Corrie,” he began gently, “when you and I take the train to Amsterdam — when do I give you your train ticket?”
Corrie answered, “Why, just before we get on the train.”
“Exactly,” her father replied. “And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will find the strength you need — just in time.”
Corrie’s father was convinced that God would provide the courage to face the inevitable. Over time this faith became Corrie’s and carried her through the war.
Trusting God does not guarantee a pain-free life. When sin entered the world, it made a big mess. And as humans we will never be able to clean it up, because it’s part of who we are. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who witnessed firsthand the evils of the Gulag, the forced labor camps in Russia during Stalin’s regime, had it right: “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”
That’s why Jesus Christ came into the world. In Him God offers forgiveness of sins and a restored relationship with Himself (John 3:16). But this is only the beginning. God then invites His children to trust Him as He guides us and cares for us through life’s journey.
I have found Him to be absolutely trustworthy, and I thank Him for bringing me to Western Massachusetts.
North Leverett Baptist Church can be found at 70 Leverett Road in Leverett. We’re an independent church that believes that God exists, that Jesus Christ is real and that God’s Word, the Bible, is truth. You are most welcome to come and visit! Our Sunday morning service is from 10 to 11:15 a.m.; children’s church is available. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we have Sunday School for all ages, birth to adults. Our church also offers a Wednesday evening program, Food pantry, Youth group and Health Clinic. For more information, please visit our website: www.nlbcma.org.