Matthew 5:44 – But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (NKJV)

During the occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, about 25,000 people were imprisoned for interrogation and prosecution in a jail near The Hague. Most were members of the resistance, and others were Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses. Some were tried and set free, others were sent on to concentration camps in the Netherlands and in Germany, and some were executed.

On May 5, 2024, it was 79 years since the occupation of the Netherlands was finally over. On that day, Greta and I watched a song service from a church in the Netherlands that commemorated the event. The leader told how his father had been imprisoned in that jail and how the family had prayed for him every day. After some months, he was released.

Some time before the service, he had visited the jail, now a museum, with his grandson. He showed some pictures of notes written by some of the prisoners, like "Stay strong" and "Keep the faith". There were faith statements and Bible texts, like this one:

Psalm 18:1-2 – I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (NKJV)

It was obvious that some of these men had faith in God, and that it gave them strength to cope. The leader of the service told us how his father had suffered during his time in prison, but also about the friends he had made and how they comforted each other while they saw others being taken to their execution. Records show that over 250 people were shot in the dunes not too far from the prison.

On March 13, 1941, eighteen men were taken to the dunes for their execution, and on the way, they sang verse four of Psalm 43, which I translated in part from my mother's Dutch Psalter Hymnal:

Then I will go to God's altar high above
To God, my God, the fount of joy and love
Then I will sing with harp and voice
And in His home, I will rejoice
When after a short time in pain and war
He will comfort me in peace forever more

One thing became abundantly clear: some of the people kept their faith, they comforted each other, and they were assured through the words of Scripture that God was their refuge and strength, indeed a very present help in times of trouble.

It is really a challenge to question whether we would have the faith, strength, and fortitude to stand strong like that in similar circumstances today.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we pray for all people who are at this time being persecuted, and we pray that they, too, may keep the faith. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.