David Brainerd

DAVID BRAINARD

"It is impossible for any rational creature to be happy without acting all for God. God Himself could not make him happy any other way... There is nothing in the world worth living for but doing good and finishing God's work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction besides living to God, pleasing Him, and doing his whole will."

"Here am I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service, and to promote Thy kingdom."

"My desires seem especially to be after weanedness from the world, perfect deadness to it, and that I may be crucified to all its allurements. My soul desires to feel itself more of a pilgrim and a stranger here below, that nothing may divert me from pressing through the lonely desert, till I arrive at my Father's house."

Oh, that I could spend every moment of my life to God's glory!"

"I have received my all from God. Oh, that I could return my all to God."

"It is sweet to be nothing and less than nothing that Christ may be all in all."

"All my desire was the conversion of the heathen... I declare, now I am dying, I would not have spent my life otherwise for the whole world."

The Strength of the LORD

1. No strength of mine to give
No might or skill or worth
No wisdom of my own to offer
In accomplishing Your work.


2. O Lord, your strength is mine
Your might, Your skill, Your worth
Your wisdom You bestow
To accomplish Your work.


SO MY SOUL, GO FORTH IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD,
WALK BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT.
TRUST THE PROMISE OF HIS WORD:
HE IS WITH YOU IN FAITH’S FIGHT.


DO NOT DELAY IN TRUSTING IN THE LORD.
HIS HAND WILL GUIDE YOUR WAY.
HE OFFERS MERCY IN HIS WORD,
TO THOSE WHO WILL CALL UPON HIS NAME.


3. So from weakness I’m made strong
From poverty made rich.
From the wisdom of Your word,
I find reason to live.


4. Your glory is my joy;
Your praise my life’s theme.
In Your beauty, I am clothed,
By Your blood, I’m made clean.


SO MY SOUL, GO FORTH IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD,

WALK BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT.
TRUST THE PROMISE OF HIS WORD:
HE IS WITH YOU IN FAITH’S FIGHT.


DO NOT DELAY IN TRUSTING IN THE LORD.
HIS HAND WILL GUIDE YOUR WAY.
HE OFFERS MERCY IN HIS WORD,
TO THOSE WHO WILL CALL UPON HIS NAME.


5. I press on through weakness and through fear;
Through struggle and through strife;
Trusting that You are always near,
To be my help in this life.


6. Now in You I’m made strong;
In You I have courage to stand.
By Your grace I know I’m held
By Your righteous right hand.


SO MY SOUL, GO FORTH IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD,

WALK BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT.
TRUST THE PROMISE OF HIS WORD:
HE IS WITH YOU IN FAITH’S FIGHT.


DO NOT DELAY IN TRUSTING IN THE LORD.
HIS HAND WILL GUIDE YOUR WAY.
HE OFFERS MERCY IN HIS WORD,
TO THOSE WHO WILL CALL UPON HIS NAME.

With God I Shall Do Valiantly

The Lord turned to Him and said, Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hands.

But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.

I will be with you and I will strike down all the Midianites together.

--Judges 6:14-16

To set the stage, The Angel of the LORD has just come to Gideon with a mission to rescue the people of Israel from the hands of the Midianites. As I read this passage this morning, the words seemed to jump off the page at me. I have read the story of Gideon before, but these verses struck a chord in my heart. God had a job for Gideon to do, and Gideon was not stupid…He knew He could not do it. He is listening to the LORD give him the mission, “ to rescue Israel in the strength you have,” At this point it is kind of like Gideon raises his hands to stop the Lord from going on, “But God, what strength? I don’t have any strength. You are looking at the least qualified man for the job. You must have gotten me mixed up with someone else because I cannot do this.”


However God did not make a mistake, and He answered Gideon, “I will be with you.”


Gideon’s strength (or lack there of) was not what mattered, what mattered was the fact that God had a mission for Gideon to carry out, and He would cause Gideon to accomplish the task. God does not seek out people who have the ability to do His work, He calls people who are weak and “unqualified” so that His power and might are seen through their inability. The key to carrying out God’s work is not our strength, but God’s presence.


I feel a lot like Gideon. I am here on the Midgett as His witness, but I am so weak to accomplish the mission He has given me to shine His glory among these people. I feel like I am the least articulate person in the world, and I see so many unbelievers who could probably defend my faith better than I could. I am fearful, filled with worries and such an unlikely candidate to minister to these people…and I just want to tell God, “I CAN’T DO THIS. THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK THAT I AM COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED TO CARRY OUT.” And I can just see Him smiling at me patiently nodding His head and saying, “I know…that is why I called you to do it.” All I can see are the impossibilities, but that just goes to show you how limited my view from here is. God can see the big picture, and He is not limited by my limitations.


The mission He has given me to accomplish here does not rest upon my ability nor upon my strength, but upon His power and might. I so easily forget that His work cannot fail. He is with me here on the Midgett and He will accomplish His work.


So He calls me to go forth in the strength I have…and my first response is “what strength?” And His response is, I AM WITH YOU…I WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS MISSION. So I go forth in my weakness, in my inability, in all the impossibilities that weigh me down, and in all the limitations that hold me back…I go forth not because I can but because God is with me and He is the one who is accomplishing His work here. I can do nothing, but through Christ I can do all things.


I am a lot like Gideon. But what the amazing thing is that the same God who caused Gideon to accomplish a seemingly impossible task is also the same God who enables me to do His work here on the Midgett. He does not change from day to day…He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love never fails, and His faithfulness is new every morning. So I press on because He is with me; I press on becasue with God I shall do valiantly.

Birthday Reflections

Well, I welcomed my birthday in today at the stroke of midnight as I stood JOOD (Junior Officer of the Deck) watch. It is hard to believe that a year has passed since I turned twenty, but as I look back over this year, I am amazed by all that God has been teaching me. I have spent about six months of this year underway, living side by side with unbelievers without a way of escape (or perhaps they were the ones who did not have a way to escape me…it is all a matter of perspective). God has taken me through valleys, and He has also leaded me to the heights as I have experienced both spiritual highs and lows. I feel as though He has been putting me through His own course of Evangelism 101.




Now (as everyone here is sure to inform me) I have reached the age of ultimate freedom…I am no longer constrained by age limitations (for the most part) and I can live and party it up big time. But little do they know that they are not free themselves, but rather they are slaves to their sin. I am no longer a slave to sin because I have been redeemed by Jesus’ blood. So I press on as Christ’s slave; His ambassador here. I am His light in this darkness, reflecting His beauty to the people here. And at times my heart is burdened and I feel like I cannot go on one more step, but Jesus gives me strength. His love is so great that He does not hesitate to hold my soul in the fire to refine and purify me to be made like Jesus. He etches His character into my soul, and it hurts but He fills me with a greater joy in knowing Him that far outweighs any pain.



So many people live for this fleeting moment in time, but soon it shall fade away. However my heart is set on eternity….so they fill their lives with comfort and pleasure now, but I press on for something greater for that which is unseen. We all expend ourselves for something. I will be spent no matter what I live for, but what I am spent for shall make all the difference in my life. I want to be spent for Jesus…I want my life to be consumed by an undying passion to glorify His name all the days of my life. I am now 21, and my mind is set, my purpose solid---In Christ I press on in faith, His praise is the theme of my life.

Quotes to Inspire

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted."
-- Nate Saint, missionary martyr



“Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; Heaven so real that we must have men there.” – Hudson Taylor




"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light"
-- John Keith Falconer



"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell."
 -- C.T. Studd



“God had only one Son and he made that Son a missionary.”
 -- David Livingston



"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose"
-- Jim Elliot


"God isn't looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him"
-- Hudson Taylor


 
When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."



"Someone asked, will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we -- who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not -- can be saved."
 -- Charles Spurgeon



God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him."
-- Hudson Taylor, missionary to China



How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

In a believer's ear;
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
~John Newton



To be able to lead others, a man must be willing to go forward alone.

- Harry Truman

 
Never . . . Never . . . Never . . . Never Give up!

- Winston Churchill

THE ONLY WAY

Out upon the waves and storms of this life
My soul is tossed,
And as the fears and doubts rise higher
I cry out.

The water crashes over me
And all I see,
Is the foaming, angry waves
That surround me.

The darkness comes and seizes me
With all its might.
I stumble for I've lost my way
In this endless night.

When all my soul feels is awful dread,
And despair;
When discouragement clench my heart...
And one more step, I cannot bear.

In my agony and helplessness,
Jesus comes.
Walking on the water
Upon the storms.

His grace and love know no limits
And His mercy's wide...
Wider than the ocean,
And stronger than the tides.

He wraps His arms around me
And reminds me of His love...
His love that took Him to the cross
To pay...
To pay for all my sin
And make me right with God
Jesus, You are the TRUTH,
The only WAY.

And so I bow all of me
Before You God.
A hurting heart,
Held in hands of grace.
And though I do not understand
Your plans for me
I trust You
That You are THE ONLY WAY.

The Reason of Christmas

"She will give birth to a son, and you will give Him the name Jesus, BECAUSE HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS."

-

Matthew 1:21

Behind the glamour and glitter of Christmas; behind the wrapping paper, Christmas trees, parties, and family reunions; behind the black Friday sales, the Nativity scenes, the busyness and bustle of the holiday season is the true reason of Christmas. The angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds---THEY ANNOUNCED GOOD NEWS. But to understand why it is such good news, we must first understand the bad news. Because if we stripped away everything we depend and cling to, if we ripped the wrapping paper away from our hearts and looked at the truth in God’s Word, concerning our heart’s condition it would not be good for we are desperately lost in our wickedness and sin.

Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray…each of us has turned to His own way.”

Psalm 14:2-3: “No one seeks God, NOT EVEN ONE.”

Isaiah 59:7-8: “Their feet rush into sin...their thoughts are evil…the way of peace they do not know.”


Imagine you had to go to the doctor and He calls you into his office and tells you to take a seat. “After examining your heart we found some things that cause us GREAT CONCERN. Your heart has a hereditary condition that has poisoned you with self-love; parasites of pride and arrogance have deteriorated your whole being, leaving you completely and utterly infected by sin and hate for God and all that is right. It does not matter what medications you take, lifestyle changes you make, or treatments you undergo you cannot undo the damage that has already been made nor can you be rid of this terrible, TERMINAL soul condition you are in.”


Wow…so this is where we are at---WE ARE WITHOUT HOPE. We have sinned against a holy God and have turned away from Him…we have become God’s enemies. There is no way for us to fix the situation we are in or change our standing with God. We are headed for Hell where we will pay the penalty of our sins for all eternity…living in complete separation from God.


But the story is not over yet….


This is the reason Christ came…to save us!!!!


The doctor continues after a great pause. “However, you may be saved yet, if someone is willing to do a heart transplant. Their heart must be completely healthy and perfect without any sin or wickedness. They must be willing to die because to give you life they must die in your place.”


You sit there shaking your head in your hopelessness, thinking “Hardly anybody is willing to die for a good person, who would die for me?”


The doctor smiles at this point. “But I have good news for you…someone already volunteered to save you. his blood type is correct and it matches yours and his heart is perfect. He willingly gave up his life so that you can have his heart. And he did it for free…though it cost Him everything.”



This is what the angels announced---GOOD NEWS!!! We had no hope, but what we could not do Christ did. He came to earth as the God-man…lived a perfect life for us…went to the cross…bore the punishment of all our sin…was utterly crushed by His Father…FORSAKEN…He went to Hell for us who would believe in Him and He died.

They laid His body in a tomb, but three days later He rose from the grave! God the Father had accepted His sacrifice; our debt had been paid. The great exchange was finalized: Jesus took all of our sin and had given us all of His righteousness! Now we can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO THE FATHER.


Christmas is the celebration of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We were helpless and hopeless because of the bad news that our sins had brought us. But now Jesus has come and He has brought us good news that we can have forgiveness because of the sacrifice that He made at the cross. Now we must believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior, take up our crosses and follow after Him. The way has been made to the Father---the only way is Jesus Christ.


Isaiah 53:3-5: “…BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED…”

I Surrender

I surrender all of me
At Your feet I humbly bring,
All my hopes and dreams
For You to take and transform.

Transform my heart to be like You,
To do the things You call me to
To live my life all for You
In full consecration.

JESUS YOU ALONE ARE MY SUPPLY
IN YOU I LIVE---TO ME I DIE.
ONLY YOU WILL SATISFY,
THIS THIRSTING SOUL AND MORTIFY
THE SIN IN ME AND MAKE ME CLEAN;
I SURRENDER...YES, I SURRENDER.

The pain is great
The road is tough,
But Jesus' strength is enough
To sustain me through all of life...I surrender

And when my soul cries out in pain,
I must never forget that Jesus' name
Is my strong tower through any storm
And He will see me through.
I surrender...Yes, I surrender.

JESUS YOU ALONE ARE MY SUPPLY

IN YOU I LIVE---TO ME I DIE.
ONLY YOU WILL SATISFY,
THIS THIRSTING SOUL AND MORTIFY
THE SIN IN ME AND MAKE ME CLEAN;
I SURRENDER...YES, I SURRENDER.