“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

Today, Holocaust Remembrance Day, is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz prisoners.

The photographs haunt me. They show the horror, the torture, the loss, the hopelessness of the prisoners.

They also show the strength and the perseverance of good people in shocking circumstances. Even in the depths of darkness, mothers tried to bring smiles to their children by drawing a mural in their sleeping quarters.

Today, may we pause to remember the horror and the depth of wickedness that men and women can sink into. Today, may we resolve that this will not happen again. May we never forget!

My prayer

Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, Holy and Righteous One, I pray for the Holocaust survivors and their families. I pray for Bart, our tour guide at Auschwitz. As they remember the Holocaust and the stories from survivors, give them peace and hope in You. Enable them to forgive. Help them to remember that You preserved their lives and were with them. Lord, for those of us who did not go through the horror of the Holocaust, cause us to know, really know, that there is none righteous, not one. Cause us to know that our hearts are desperately wicked and that there is only one way to righteousness. That way is through Your own dear Son. Thank you, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Related articles:

Never Forget the Lesson of Auschwitz

USA Today: Auschwitz Survivors Make Painful Pilgrimage