I’ve mentioned many times in the past that I grew up in church … literally. From the cradle roll, cherub choir, training union, girl’s auxiliary, vacation Bible school, church camp … if I wasn’t at home I was at church. And early on, I began memorizing scripture … the 23rd Psalm, John 3:16, and, of course, the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen”
I did indeed learn the Lord’s Prayer early on, but I learned it in my head, not in my heart. It was only recently that I began to understand what “Thy will be done” really means.
I read a quote by Elisabeth Elliot a few weeks ago that made great impact on me: “To pray, ‘thy will be done,’ I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone.” Wow … I’ve just been hit like a freight train. Knowing Elisabeth’s story made it even more meaningful. Let me share that with you.
Elisabeth’s husband, Jim Elliot, was an American Christian missionary working with Wickliffe Bible Translators. In the spring of 1952, Elliott and four other missionaries traveled to Ecuador to begin the task of translating the Bible to the Huaorani – also called the “Auca”, the Quichua word for “savage” – a group of Ecuadorian indigenous people considered violent and dangerous to outsiders.
Jim and one other missionary arrived in Ecuador on February 21, 1952, to begin their mission. On October 8, 1953, Jim and Elisabeth were married in Quito (Ecuador). They spent a brief honeymoon in Panama and Costa Rica before returning to Ecuador.
Jim and his missionary group made contact with the Huaorani using a loudspeaker and a basket to pass down gifts. After several months, the men decided to build a base a short distance from the Amerindian village, along the Curaray River. There they were approached one time by a small group of Huaorani and even gave an airplane ride to one curious Huaorani whom they called “George” (his real name was Naenkiwi). Encouraged by these friendly encounters, they began plans to visit the Huaorani. Their plans were thwarted by the arrival of a larger group of 10 Huaorani warriors, who killed Elliot and his four companions with spears on January 8, 1956. Elliot’s body was found downstream, along with those of the other men.
After Jim’s death, his wife, Elisabeth, their three-year-old daughter and a missionary friend began working among the Huaorani, befriending them while translating the Bible into the tribal language. For two years Elisabeth lived with the tribe members who killed her husband.
Folks, from now on when I hear “Thy will be done,” I’m really saying “Lord, let my will be the same as Your will.”
What do you think?
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com.
Tagged: forgiveness, missionaries, prayer
