Suffer Well & Missionary Series – Part 3

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David Livingstone (1813-1873)

David Livingstone was a medical missionary with the London Missionary Society. He was born in Scotland in 1813 but spent most of his life in Africa as an explorer and doctor. Coupled with his love for the Lord and desire to spread the Gospel, Livingstone used his understanding of nature and science to help him map much of southern Africa. Livingstone never stayed long in any one place. He was driven to map the continent of Africa in preparation for the many missionaries who would come after him.

 Livingstone and his family were seven years into ministry when they started moving further inland. Then, the dedicated missionary saw his first convert. The man’s name was Sechele, the chief of a tribe Livingstone had reached out to. This was a giant victory for Livingstone. It was also a key to furthering Livingstone’s ministry, as his relationships with tribal groups would prove to be crucial for his explorations later on.

Tragically, a life-threatening illness struck the Livingstone family in 1852, forcing Livingstone to send his wife and children to Britain for medical attention. This was disheartening for the Livingstone parents and their four children, however, David Livingstone meant to carry on through Africa.

Livingstone became more and more adventurous. He no longer wanted to wait at his station for African people to come; he wanted to go. This was the beginning of his journeys all across Africa, which eventually would lead Livingstone to pioneer “God’s Highway” into the very heart of the continent. He would write about his burning heart for the nation, earnestly questioning the people of Europe:

“Who will penetrate the heart of Africa?”

– David Livingstone, 1845

In 1853, Livingstone set out to travel the entire width of Africa. With only a small group of African men who volunteered to join him.

From coast to coast, Livingstone and his men faced trials. The missionary experienced severe illnesses of many kinds such as malaria and terrible fevers. He often starved and had very little clean water. There were hostile tribal groups along his path, in which only the Lord could save him.

Livingstone and his party were even attacked by the Dutch. These men wanted the slave trade to grow and hated what Livingstone was doing. Even though he was facing persecution and threats to his life, Livingstone was never willing to give up. Though, to David Livingstone, the worst of his experience through his first exploration was not the near-death hardships in which he personally faced. The worst of it all was the horrendous treachery he witnessed committed against humans, the slave trade in Africa. He was up close and personal with the devasting lives that the slaves endured. The death and despair that Livingstone witnessed were enough to push him forward.

Livingstone had been presumed dead already by this time. His letters had not been reaching home, his wife had passed away, he had lost or been robbed of all his possessions and at the end was incredibly ill. There were some people who traveled into Africa to try and track Livingstone down, and discover whether he was indeed dead or alive.

He was found alive near Lake Tanganyika in October 1871, by another explorer and journalist, Henry Stanley who upon finding Dr. Livingstone, allegedly uttered those famous words, ‘Dr. Livingstone I presume?’

He would have come up against all manner of horrific diseases, not to mention inhospitable terrain, extremes of temperature, potentially hostile natives and wildlife! All of this would have taken an inevitable toll on the explorer and missionary. He had actually managed to survive contracting malaria a colossal 30 times!

 

Suffer well

Beloved, I realize that the statement above is a paradox but there is no story of Daniel in the lion’s den without the lions, there is no story of Paul without the gaol and the chains, there is no story of Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego without the fire, no story of Noah without the flood, no Christianity without the suffering death and resurrection.  There is no story of job without his tragedies. There is no freedom from Egypt without the slavery. God remains the same through the heartache and the highlands. God remains the same at the mountaintop and in the valley. Suffer well my beloved.

How are you going to suffer well? I'm going to attempt to give you a list that is not exhaustive. There is a call to humility that you MUST answer. Become teachable and make yourself small in the Kingdom of God.

Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

Luke 18: 14 (NIV)

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Change your reactions, let your old nature go and become a new man in Christ whatever that entails in your world. So many of us have been guilty of a double life sometimes of secrecy- that needs to go.

Ephesians 5:22

that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

Form fellowship, not like Job whose friends were of no help to him but like Paul whose friends visited him in gaol and brought him good report of what the Saints were doing. Christians who live out the word. You may form some of your closest friends during this time of your restoration journey. God will put them on your path as you go along, he sure did it for me!

Do not complain. God hates it. Watch your words.

Numbers 11:

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

Replace all fear with faith. Fear is your enemy, one preacher put it like this, God never takes you around the fire he takes you through it. God never takes you around the water to find a bridge- he takes you through it; God doesn't expect you to build a boat to cross the Red Sea, expect him to part the waters. Do you know what I mean?

Genesis 15: 1

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Psalm 91: 5- 8

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

I feel the call to remind you about our letter on false starts. You may perceive that your situation is not getting better. It doesn't matter -keep going. Remember pharaoh had to go through 10 plagues in order to be finally crushed. So, if you're seeing others going through the 10 plagues and they're still not changing their mind realise that they will be brought to the Red Sea. Pharaoh lost his entire army in those waters, that is the destiny of your enemies if you hold on. Suffer well brother.

~ Tad in Australia