(Photo above: Mincaye & John Cox)
My husband and I had the privilege of attending the Shepherd’s Conference in 2003 and hearing an incredible story about five missionaries in 1956 who were ministering in Ecuador and speared to death. The story began with five men, including Nate Saint and Jim Elliot, who wanted to find one of the most savage tribes and give them the gospel. They found a 4th world tribe known for being especially ruthless, and their names were the Aucas. This tribe didn’t even have words for kindness or patience in their language. Their words were “take,” “mine,” and very aggressive. They lived in constant fear for their lives, and there was no peace.
One day, these missionaries flew into the beach near this tribe to make contact. God had put these people on the missionaries’ hearts, and they came many times to try and start a relationship. But one day, due to a misunderstanding and lies amongst the tribe, these five missionaries were speared to death. The missionaries had said that if they were attacked, they would not fight back. And this is precisely what God used to begin to prick the conscience of one man, in particular, Mincaye. He had speared Nate Saint to death, and his son Steve Saint was waiting for his Dad to come that day. The wives of these men were courageous, and some went to live with this tribe. God answered the prayers of many people, and one by one, the men and women of this tribe were saved. Miraculous!
My husband had the privilege of going to Ecuador the previous year in 2002 on a missions trip led by Steve Saint, and he met Mincaye. He said it was unbelievable to witness the strong relationship between these two men. During the conference we attended, Mincaye shared how God saved him while Steve translated. When he finished his testimony, he said, “And now I must sing.” He sang in his language, and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. He praised the Lord for saving his soul and was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to the Lord. Mincaye had even baptized Steve Saint in the waters where his father, Nate, was killed! Genuine salvation! That was the day God called my husband and me to the ministry.
“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” ~Psalm 34:8
Well of Living Water
Truly once you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, nothing else completely satisfies. The well of living water that God provides in Christ is always overflowing and never runs dry. I have experienced the depth of this truth repeatedly during extremely difficult trials. When I am physically, spiritually, and mentally at my wit’s end, God reminds me that He’s just getting started! I have access to this well of living water at all times, and as hard and dark as things may be, there is never an end to His power and love that He constantly pours out.
Romans 5:5 states, “…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This love is continually poured into our hearts, and there is an endless supply. There is nothing too difficult that the Lord cannot breathe hope into.
Chasms of His Strength & Power
One of my all-time favorite heroes of the faith is Joni Eareckson Tada. She is a quadriplegic and one of the most encouraging people you can ever meet. She constantly gives glory to God in her suffering and has blessed millions of people. In her book, An Untold Love Story, she explains this reality of God continually opening up chasms of His strength and power so she could endure. A couple of times in her marriage, things just got so hard, and either she or her husband Ken felt like they couldn’t go on. It was in these moments where God met them on their knees and gave them the strength to press on, and their marriage is stronger today than ever!
These examples are ones that I praise God for in life and inspire me to endure and plunge my bucket deeper into that well. The Lord gives grace upon us as we seek Him and trust Him.
There is no distance too far where God will not go to find you; there is no sin too great that God cannot cover, and there is an endless supply of His steadfast love that will never let you go. This living water is God’s Word, and it refreshes my heart as I walk through this chaotic world. He steadies our gaze on Him, He intercedes on our behalf, and through His precious blood, we are healed and saved!
Praise the Lord that we are born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and given “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you….” 1 Peter 1:4.
Wherever your heart may be today, I pray the words of John 16:33 would meet you, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
