As a youth =
(and newly born-again Christian by the Gospel of grace), I heard the =
story of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger =
Youderian as missionaries to the Auca Indians in Ecuador. These bold men =
had a heart for sharing the Gospel to an unreached people group, and =
dedicated their lives to this task.
On January 8, =
1956, these young missionaries had made slight contact with tribe =
members, but when they landed on a sandbar to meet face to face, they =
were attacked and killed by the very group they were trying to reach. =
A few years =
later, Elizabeth Elliot (Jim’s wife) returned and shared the =
Gospel with these same Auca Indians. God used these men’s death to =
reach people who had never heard the Gospel.
What is often =
not remembered was the evening before the missionaries set out to share =
the gospel with the Auca’s, they read II Chronicles 14:11 =
“Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help, whether with many, or with =
those who have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on Thee, =
and in Thy name we go”. Then sang Edith Cherry’s 1895 song =
“We Rest on Thee”, to the tune of “Be Still, =
My Soul”. This is the last song that these five modern martyrs =
sang. We should and must join them, making these words still our =
prayer today.
“We rest =
on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
We go not =
forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy =
strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on =
Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
Strong in Thy =
strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on =
Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
Yes, in Thy =
Name, O Captain of salvation!
In Thy dear =
Name, all other names above;
Jesus our =
Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of =
glory and our King of love.
Jesus our =
Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of =
glory and our King of love.
We go in =
faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing =
more each day Thy grace to know:
Yet from our =
hearts a song of triumph pealing,
We rest on =
Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
Yet from our =
hearts a song of triumph pealing,
We rest on =
Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
We rest on =
Thee, our Shield and our Defender,
Thine is the battle, Thine =
shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly =
splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless =
days.
When =
passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with =
Thee, through endless days.”
Elizabeth Elliot titled her =
story of Jim Elliot, “Through Gates of Splendor”
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I Love!"