That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” – Genesis 32:22-28
David Livingstone was a Scottish physician and missionary to Africa in the mid-nineteenth century. The London Missionary Society asked if he found a good road so that other missionaries could easily join him. He responded, “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
Raised in a Christian home, from age 10, Livingstone worked 14 hours a day in a factory and went to school for two hours in the evening, studying until midnight and rising again at six to work. The factory supervisor caught Livingstone reading a book while minding the weaving loom. Livingstone showed him that it was a Bible and assured him that he was not so much reading as he was memorizing Scripture. The boss took the Bible away and demanded that Livingstone prove this claim. Livingstone recited Psalm 119 from memory – all 150 verses.
Livingstone studied medicine and theology, then packed his belongings into a coffin and headed to South Africa. Intent on sharing the Good News with people who otherwise could not have heard the Gospel, he traveled into deepest Africa, where it was said that no white man had gone before. During his travels, a lion crushed his left arm, such that he never regained full motion. Undeterred, he sullied forth. At age 32 he married a woman from back home and she joined him in his ministry to warring tribes and massacring slave traders. She died of malaria 18 years later.
While seeking the source of the Nile, Lord Stanley encountered him and famously said, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” After all, who else would be there, braving the wild and risking life?
Livingstone described his passion for missions: “Fever may cut us all off. I feel much when I think of the children dying. But who will go if we don’t? Not one. I would venture everything for Christ. Pity I have so little to give.” Livingstone reasoned, “Future missionaries will see conversions follow every sermon. We prepare the way for them. May they not forget the pioneers who worked in the thick gloom, with few cheering rays to cheer except such as flow from faith in God’s promises. We work for a glorious future which we are not destined to see."
We all face struggles in this world. Maybe malaria and lions are not the norm for us, but there are a lot of painful threats in this broken world. In the midst of our suffering, God gives us comfort and knowledge through His Word, His Spirit, and His church. We need not fear as we brave the wild.
Valentine’s Day is a good time to remember why Livingstone ventured well outside his comfort zone. It is for love that we are called to persevere and face the giants – love for those who still do not understand that Jesus came to save all who would believe. What will your name be after you have struggled with God and humans and lions? May your name also no longer be ‘Deceiver’ (‘Jacob’) but ‘Wrestled with God’ (‘Israel’). Fear not. In the name of Jesus, we shall overcome. May you find and share love in Christ’s Bride, the church, this Valentine’s Day weekend. May He give you comfort in your struggles.
We work for a glorious future.
What is your calling?
