This winter we return to our devotional series on The Journals of Jim Elliot, that we began last January, commemorating the anniversary of the death of missionary Jim Elliot, Elisabeth’s first husband, killed on January 8th, 1956. Today, we feature excerpts from his journal during the Summer of 1948. Elisabeth edited his journals and her comments are italicized. We pray Jim’s words will be a blessing to you.
Jim attended Wheaton summer school, and in July traveled with a Gospel team under the auspices of the Foreign Missions Fellowship, a branch of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. The other team members were Roger Lewis, Verd Holsteen, and my brother Dave Howard. He had a brief visit in Portland with his family before returning for his senior year at Wheaton.
JUNE 15 Wept myself to sleep last night after seeing Betty off at the depot. Wistful all day today in spite of outdoor exercise. Feel a concentrated pressure in my throat even now. Homesickness partly-but I never felt it until after I left her. Perhaps God is trying to make me thirst after Him-to find “all my springs” in Christ (Pss. 87:7). Thinking of Moses tonight. He was “drawn out” (his name means this) from the beginning. His mother hid him at birth, and his God hid him in death-forty years of that life were gone in hiding. Loneliness-what I feel now-must have been the keynote of his life. “Yet no prophet like him whom Jehovah knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10). And none with his power, either. “Teach me to do thy will” (Pss. 143:10). The Lord gave me this affair with B.H. to try me, to see if I were really in earnest about the life of loneliness He taught me of in Matthew 19. A eunuch for the Kingdom’s sake. I believe He has proved me, but I doubt if He was satisfied. I am willing to let her go but only with struggle. Put upon me the deep sleep of Adam, Lord. My father gave me Psalms 25:9 for FMF’s responsibility this year. “The meek will he guide in justice; the meek will he teach his way.” Moses again (Num. 12:3).
Following my graduation from Wheaton in 1948, I attended the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma.
JUNE 16 Joshua 1, 2 Two things are necessary that one might do according to the Word: “be strong and courageous” (1:7); “meditate” (1:8). Boldness in doing God’s will combined with contemplation of the Word to know God’s will is the formula for “good success” whithersoever thou goest. Three days of preparation were spent: (1) in preparing victuals, (2) in spying out Jericho. So with any spiritual experience-spy the land (or in Christ’s words, “Count the cost”) and prepare sustenance, spiritual reserve strength for future battles.
JUNE 17 Joshua 3-5 Moses and Joshua both came to the place where they had to remove their shoes–to be a leader for God, one must take a shoeless (uncovered) stand on holy ground. A burning bush unconsumed is typical of Moses (no man can see God and live, but he did) (Exod. 3:5). A man with a sword as prince of Israel’s host is the Spirit of God in Joshua (5:15).
**Excerpt originally published in The Journals of Jim Elliot, pp 67-68