I've been reading the book, "Becoming Elisabeth Elliot (authored by Ellen Vaughn)."
What a woman of faith! There are few like her in our world today!
Inspired by God's Word (above all), godly women the Lord placed in her life as mentors, and her voracious love of books, especially biographies (and, in particular the written words of Amy Carmichael), Elisabeth desired to live life with one single focus: service to her Lord.
Her ventures for Jesus took her to unlikely and difficult places before landing in Ecuador to do language translation.
She married Jim Elliot after a lengthy courtship, both putting their mission first, while seeking God's timing...or, whether, or not, marriage truly was God's heart for them.
Together, their dreams meshed to eventually take the gospel to the most violent and murderous of the unreached tribes - the Waodani (also known as the Huaorani, or, better known, Auca Indians).
Most Christians know the often told story of Jim Elliot, who along with four other missionary men, strategically began making inroads into the Waodani by systematically dropping gifts into their village from the missionary plane that frequently took supplies to other missionaries working in the jungle.
Just after the new year of 1956, after multiple gift-drops, the five men flew into a location on the Curaray River.
There they set up a camp, slept in makeshift hammocks in the trees, and waited for contact with the Waodani.
When two women and a warrior crossed the river to their camp, they were ecstatic!
The reports back to their wives via radio were full of excitement and possibility...these three, in spite of language differences, shared a meal together with the men, and left on very friendly terms.
Of course, there's a back story, told many years later, for what transpired in the village following this first meet up; but, the end result is that the next contact Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and the pilot, Nate Saint had with the Waodani came in the form of a warring party.
With one thing and one thing only on the minds of these Waodani (to kill the "cowodi" - outsiders), all five missionaries were speared to death on the little strip of land these men affectionately named "Palm Beach."
Widowed before the age of 30, with a ten month old daughter, Elisabeth's journals unwrap the questions that rose following the martyrdom of her husband and co-missionaries.
Yet, her faith never failed....and her questions rose before the Lord as she prayed and sought God's responses through His Word.
Not six months post Jim's death, this is Elisabeth's journal entry:
"I am possessed as never before with a consuming desire for the Waodani. Can hardly think of anything else when I am not concentrating on translation or something. O Lord -- wilt Thou let me go?"
Elisabeth's heart never waned, and her dream never died, she longed for the Waodani to know the Savior who loved them and gave His life for them...
Indeed, back she went, as the Lord granted permission, along with the sister (Rachel) of pilot, Nate Saint, and her, now 20 month old daughter, to live among the very people who murdered her husband!
One thing she knew, Jim died already loving the Waodani...and, miraculously, she did, too!
As Elisabeth is quoted to have said:
Faith knows where to take questions for answers!
And, answer, the Lord did!
It is a most unusual story...
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In these days many have questions that are leading to a deconstruction of faith.
Instead of reconstructing it on sound biblical principles, the outcome is what I refer to as "sheep-gone-missing."
I feel a pull to know more, discern better, and, respond biblically out of a compassionate heart.
My "Waodani" aren't the unreached...mine are the "over-reached."
We live in a world with so many influencers, so many voices, and, so much opinion.
But, how adept are we at getting to the RIGHT PLACE to hear the RIGHT VOICE for finding the RIGHT ANSWERS?
If you read last week's blog post, you know I'm passionate for TRUTH - TRUTH in the form of God's Word.
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My study in the book of Galatians taught me a very random lesson this week.
In Galatians 2, Paul opposes Peter (I mentioned this a couple weeks ago).
Peter is "off base."
His "conduct is not in step with the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus."
Peter's reverting to his Cephas-days...and playing the hypocrite.
Paul is NOT SHY about addressing this issue.
Paul's letter hinges on one key word found in vs. 14.
It reads, "But when I saw that (his) conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I ________ ..."
What's the word?
“Lego” (seriously, it's Greek!)
Paul said to Cephas before them all...
Paul "lego-ed..."
He systematically confronted Peter, building his case step by step, in order to move Peter in a certain direction....
Ever put a Lego set together?
You can't do it from this mess alone:
You might do better if you saw the end-picture:
But, what makes all the difference (for constructing a firm, stable, structure that will hold and be more lasting) is having the instruction manual open, showing us how to put it all together one building block at a time!
Gotta have this 👆!!!
There are pieces you will never see in the finished product, but without them, the thing crumbles (I may, or may not, know this from experience, and had to "deconstruct" to correct)...
Here's the point of all of this...
Questions will arise in our lives - deep, hard questions - because life can be excruciatingly painful and confusing.
We will desperately search for answers.
But, unless we seek them FIRST and FOREMOST from a well-understood and clearly defined accurate source, our faith won't stand. It will crumble. It cannot endure hardships and will not give us direction for our tomorrows.
It's essential that Jesus-followers know how to systematically dig deep in God's Word and find TRUTH.
Like Paul, we 'gotta' understand the basics of Lego-building! In fact,
Me? I don't want to "become Elisabeth Elliot," but I certainly want to lean into a faith like hers.
I'm eager to stand the test of trials and time WELL...
The only way is to learn how to build my faith from the foundation up - constructing step by step in Lego-fashion.
Elisabeth Elliot looks on, now, with the crowd of Hebrews 12:1!
I believe she's cheering for us to take our QUESTIONS by FAITH to the right PLACE for the right ANSWERS...and,
Lego-up!
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