One of the precious promises our Saviour made to us is that He will "never leave us nor forsake us". (Hebrews. 13:5) Paul writes in the next verse after this promise: "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, . . . " (Heb 13:6)
One of the many ways that He has helped me on my earthly journey is through the example and words of others--through the words of Scriptures, sermons, books, hymns, personal conversations, poems, etc. Some of those examples and words came to me through the life of Elisabeth Elliot. She has compiled many of the words that have helped her (and, subsequently, me) in a beautiful little book titled "Gateway to Joy". This morning, I share with you some of these words that point us to the things which endure.

Grace and Peace,
Elaine

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In the Preface to this book of collected writings, Elisabeth writes:

"Joy, said C. S. Lewis, is the serious business of heaven. The business of earth seems often to load us down with disappointment and sorrow. Where is the joy? "It has been only in the last couple of decades that I have, to my astonishment, discovered that every experience, even the most unwelcome, if offered to Jesus, can become a gateway to joy. "Through overwhelming loss the prophet Habakkuk learned the great lesson of choosing joy. He said, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Habakkuk 3:17, 18). This was a deliverate act, not of the emotions, but of the will. "Suffering and joy are closely linked in Scripture. When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure He reminded them of His obedience to the Father....He said, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete .... You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." "It is my hope that as you read the following selections, . . . you will find the truth of His promise."

* * * * *

"When I was fourteen or so I began to think seriously about the words to one of my favorite hymns, "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." . . . Was I willing to accept only the sunshine of Christ's face (when I could think of all kinds of "sunshine" I hope for), to "know no gain or loss" (I had several ambitions)? "I wanted to be willing. It was going to take some learning."

Elisabeth Elliot; "A Path Through Suffering"

* * * * *

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

I take, O Cross, thy shadow for my abiding place.
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face,
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self, my only shame; my glory all the Cross.

Elizabeth Clephane

* * * * *

O what a happy soul I am!
Although I cannot see.
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't.

Fanny Crosby, age eight

* * * * *

This Day "Loving Lord and heavenly Father, I offer up today all that I am, all that I have, all that I do, and all that I suffer, to be Yours today and Yours forever. Give me peace, Lord, to do all that I know of Your holy will. Purify my heart, sanctify my thinking, correct my desires. Teach me, in all of today's work and trouble and joy, to respond with honest praise, simple trust, and instant obedience, that may life may be in truth a living sacrifice, by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, my Master and my all. Amen." Elisabeth Elliot

* * * * *

Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Bernard of Clairvaux, trans. by Ray Palmer

* * * * *

"If we truly believe that God wants to bring us to our full glory, we will long increasingly to unite our wills with His. It is in exact proportion as we do this that we will find happiness here on earth. If His will is done on earth, it becomes like heaven, where His will is always done. Elisabeth Elliot, A Path Through Suffering

* * * * *

And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But no, Lord, no, that never shall be; rather,
I pray Thee, blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee, hush the hurrying, eager longing;
I pray Thee, soothe the pangs of keen desire;
See in my quiet places wishes thronging;
Forbid them, Lord; purge, though it be with fire.

And work in me to will and do Thy pleasure;
Let all within me, peaceful, reconciled,
Tarry, content my Well-beloved's leisure--
At last, at last, even as a weaned child.

Amy Carmichael

* * * * *

"One of the nicest things any of the listeners to my broadcast, "Gateway to Joy," has written to me came from a little girl: "You make me brave." Sometimes I wonder what has happened to words like courage and endurance. What reason is there in our feel-comfortable society ever to be brave? Very little, and when you think about it, we miss it, don't we? To be really brave is to lay oneself open to charges of hypocrisy, of being "in denial", or out of touch with one's feelings. Moses charged Joshua to be strong and very courageous. Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to do the thing we fear. Go straight into the furnace or the lions' den. Were those men out of touch with their feelings or with reality? No. Nor was the psalmist who said, "When I am afraid, I will trust" (Psalm 56:3). There's a big difference between feeling and willing.

Elisabeth Elliot, Keep a Quiet Heart

* * * * *

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our feverish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire:
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still small voice of calm!

John Greenleaf Whittier

* * * * *

For Our Husbands

"Lord, grant me the vision of a true lover as I look at __________ (husband's name). Help me to see him through Your eyes, to read the thoughts he does not put into words, to bear with his human imperfections, remembering that he bears with mine and that You are at work in both of us. Thank You, Lord, for this man, Your carefully chosen gift to me, and for the high privilege of being heirs together of the grace of life. Help me to make it as easy and pleasant as I possibly can for him to do Your will."

From the Elisabeth Elliot Newsletter

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We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o'er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

John Ellerton

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(More selections from "Gateway to Joy" will be sent in subsequent posts . . . )