Faith Over Circumstances - Elisabeth Elliot

1926–

Elisabeth Elliot’s story makes many people wonder, Could I ever have done what she did? She grew up in a missions-minded family and felt a call to use her talents to translate the New Testament for a tribe that didn’t have the Bible.

At Wheaton College, Elisabeth met Jim Elliot, who felt called to reach a tribe that had never heard the gospel. The two were married in Quito, Ecuador, in 1953. They began to work with the Quichua tribe. Then an opportunity arose to make contact with the Aucas (now known as Huaorani), an unreached tribe that had killed all outsiders who tried to make contact.

In 1955, ten months after Elisabeth gave birth to their daughter, Jim and four other missionaries made contact with the dangerous Huaorani. They had some encouraging, friendly encounters with a few tribe members, but suddenly things changed. The five missionaries were speared to death.

It was big news. America mourned its “missionary martyrs,” and many Christians were inspired to reach unreached peoples. But the most powerful inspiration might have come from Elisabeth Elliot and some of the other widows, who kept seeking ways to reach the Huaorani.

This is where the Could I have done what she did? question comes in. Elisabeth’s faith must have been tested by those tragic circumstances, but she remained faithful. She was called to serve God there, and Jim’s death didn’t change the call. Eventually Elisabeth connected with the tribe that had killed her husband. She was able to tell them of the forgiving love of God.

In These Strange Ashes, a book about her first year in Ecuador before her husband’s death, she wrote, “Faith’s most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain.”

Elisabeth didn’t see Jim’s death as a stunning array of evidence that her faith was vain. Certainly, there were times when she was afraid for herself and for her young daughter, but her faith was stronger than her fear.

When the evidence against your faith seems to mount, do you allow it to sway you? Or do you choose faith over circumstances?

The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Psalm 27:1