Isaiah 6:8 “Here I am. Send me!”
One of my heroes is Robert Jermain Thomas. In 1866, he felt God’s call to penetrate Korea with the gospel following a massacre of about 8,000 local believers by the antagonistic regime. In human eyes it was foolish to respond. However, despite the nagging temptation to resist God’s call, Thomas boarded a US trading vessel and sailed up to Pyongyang. Despite repeated warnings to turn back they kept going until they were stranded on a sandbank. The Koreans set fire to their ship at which point all the other men on board tried to escape but were killed by soldiers on the river bank.
Thomas alone remained on board and he threw all the Bibles he’d brought with him to those watching on the banks of the river. Eventually he jumped into the river with his clothes ablaze. Reaching the bank he begged a soldier to receive his last Bible as a gift. The soldier hesitated but then fulfilled his duty by thrusting his lance through the 27-year-old Welshman.
Those present were deeply impacted by the scene. Some of the Bibles were rescued and the pages used as wallpaper in people’s houses. Within a short period though, curiosity grabbed them and they began reading the Scriptures and became Christians despite the massive personal cost that conversion brought them. One young man’s life, lived and laid down with such urgency, had led to the expansion of God’s fledgling kingdom in that land.
No doubt Thomas’ experience is one far removed from most of us, and a little extreme. But God is still calling his people to be involved in his mission to redeem a lost humanity. Where do you think you fit in the grand puzzle? The Holy Spirit indwelling each one of us is constantly prompting us to come alongside folk we meet, to take the initiative, to step out of our comfort zones. With God’s help, let’s not resist his invitation to witness to him today.
Lord, I choose to respond to whatever your Spirit prompts me to do today. Amen!
PS Read the amazing whole story of Robert Jermaine Thomas in this blog.
Leave a Reply