A Missionary Moment: Jim Elliot

I know that it is pitiful to try to summarize a person's life in a blog post. That is especially true of a life so full as that of Jim Elliot. At first it may sound strange to say that of a man that died at 29 years of age. But a full life is not measured by the passing of the sands of time. Rather a full life is measured by the degree to which the glory of God is seen through it.

Perhaps the title of his published journal's said it all, for he lived under the Shadow of the Almighty. As I read and thought about his life, a few important lesson emerged.

First, living under the almighty shadow of God gives us a holy restlessness. Suddenly we are discouraged by the status-quo and committed to making a difference. Elliot lamented this in his own life. Hence, he prayed, "Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God." While preparing to go to Ecuador, people tried to discourage him. They claimed that he would be of more use in the states, because he could stir them with missionary fervor. His response reveals the same dissatisfaction:

So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring? They have Moses and the prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers. American believers have sold their lives to the service of Mammon, and God has his rightful way of dealing with those who succumb to the spirit of Laodica.

Second, living under the shadow of the almighty gives a healthy perspective of death. On January 8, 1956 Jim Elliot along with his missionary partners headed out for a meeting with the notorious Auca Indians in Ecuador. Just before he left, his young wife asked if he would use the gun in his pocked if attacked by the Indians. His response challenges our self-protective tendencies. "We will not use our guns," he responded. When asked why he simply said, "Because we are ready for heaven, but they are not." A short time later the Indians did attack killing all the men. Jim left a wife of less than three years and a baby girl. In death he testified to what he said in life. "He is not fool who give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

May God help us to live under the shadow of the almighty so that we may have a holy restlessness to see the nations come to our God!