Commit your way to the LORD ∙∙

Commit your way to the LORD ∙∙

Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. – Psalms 37:5

Psalms 37:3-5

 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

 5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will act.

Five evangelical missionaries embarked on Operation Auca, aiming to share their faith with the Auca tribe in Ecuador, fully aware of the considerable dangers involved. The Aucas were known for their hostility towards outsiders, often resorting to violence to protect their isolation, attacking and killing any unwelcome visitors without provocation.

Ed McCulley, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian knew they faced great danger, even death. They put their trust in the Father and committed their way to Him.

Their approach was peace and friendship; they made flights over Auca settlements, dropping gifts to signal their friendly intentions. This gesture sparked curiosity among the Aucas, who began to collect at the drop sites. In a significant exchange, the Aucas sent up a feather headdress as a gift, attaching it to a line from the missionaries’ plane.

Eventually, the missionaries decided to land near an Auca village, where they set up a prefabricated treehouse. In friendship, they called out into the surrounding forest and awaited a response.

However, no further communication from them was received. Another missionary later flew over the site, spotting the plane from the air. He discovered the lifeless bodies of all five men, confirming the ultimate sacrifice they had made.

But the story did not end there. It only began.

Stepping into the void left by the fallen missionaries, Elisabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint courageously made their way into Auca lands. Without weapons and posing no threat, they exemplified Christian principles of forgiveness. Their bravery and willingness to forgive captivated and amazed the Auca people. They were able to share the gospel message. Large numbers of the Auca accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Among them were the killers of the five men. The two women became the first outsiders to enter Auca territory and live to tell about.

Elliot and Saint’s journey into Auca territory broke new ground. They became the first non-natives to enter and survive, sharing their story with the world.

Their extraordinary story caught the attention of Life magazine, which dedicated a 10-page photo essay to them. This was followed by features in Reader’s Digest and numerous other media outlets. The five missionaries, already welcomed in the Father’s presence as good and faithful servants, became famous worldwide on planet Earth. Their dedication and ultimate sacrifice left an indelible mark on many alive at that time, a legacy that endures and continues to inspire to this day.

REFLECT & PRAY

It is almost incomprehensible to think that our Father God wants to be the source of our greatest delight, pleasure, and sense of fulfillment.

Father my deepest desire is to trust You and fully give myself over to You, placing all that I am and possess in Your trust. Encourage me to do just that.

INSIGHT

Fallen creatures in a fallen world do what comes naturally. What comes naturally for most people is to seek their own best interest and trust in themselves. All of the children of the King have this tendency. But the Father offers something entirely different for His children. He wants us to follow a different path and live an alternative lifestyle. What are that path and lifestyle? What does this entail? He wants us to place our complete confidence and trust in Him and depend upon His precious promises in the Scriptures.

Psalms 37:3-5 provides some broad guidelines regarding how to do this.

Psalms 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

We are to trust in the Father. What is trust? Trust means having strong confidence in or reliance upon someone. The Father God embodies trustworthiness. Putting our confidence and trust in Him is the natural response to His nature and character. The Father provides security and makes us feel safe. How do we demonstrate that we trust the Father? We demonstrate our trust through our actions. Rather than doing evil, we are to do good.

Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

The world is filled with fleeting joys and countless ways to seek momentary satisfaction and indulgence. There are so many ways to feel good and be pampered. Everywhere we turn, there are promises of achieving personal fulfillment through various means.

In contrast, the Father presents an entirely different approach to finding and experiencing pleasure. Our joy should be found in Him. We are to take delight in Him. We are to repurpose ourselves to seek and receive boundless pleasure in Him. “The path to true self-fulfillment does not lie in a preoccupation with self but in selfless preoccupation with God. When the psalmist sets his heart on God, God reciprocates by making him truly fulfilled.” (NIDOTTE).

Psalms 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.

The Hebrew word translated as commit is galal, which literally means to roll or roll away. To commit is not merely intellectual assent. Instead, it presents an all-encompassing alternative way of life. “It means to turn over to the Lord your whole life – all your desires, problems, anxieties. Let the Lord determine what your life is to be; trust in him” (UBS). It entails settled confidence and a deep reliance on the Father.

Imagine you’re burdened with an immense weight that is all you can bear when the Father invites us to commit our lives to Him. He asks us to transfer that heavy load from our shoulders onto His. Our Heavenly Father willingly takes on this burden for us.

When we commit, He takes action. He will do whatever is necessary (FRCL) to accomplish His plan. This is where our trust and faith are put to the test. He does not tell us in advance what He will do or when He will do it.

The five missionaries, young and full of zeal, were ready to face death in their mission for the Father. Yet, like many twenty-somethings, the prospect of being killed so suddenly by those they aimed to reach with the message of Jesus Christ likely seemed remote. For them, the outcome was totally unexpected.

However, they were exactly where the Father intended them to be. Through their ultimate sacrifice, salvation reached countless souls. The impact of their lives inspired tens of thousands to dedicate themselves to full-time ministry as pastors, teachers, and missionaries, influencing millions more.

In the Father’s calculus, the sacrifice of five of His dear, precious children was a high price to pay. But it was worth it. It was His plan all along.

Reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the greatest cost ever borne by the Father. Yet, through Jesus’s sacrificial death, He brought about redemption and reconciliation to the world. This was also the Father’s plan all along.

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© Dr. H 2024