Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)
READ: Isaiah 49
As a young woman, Amy Carmichael felt a strong rebuke from the Lord that would set the stage for her life as a missionary. She and her brother were helping an old beggar woman walk down the street when Amy was overcome with embarrassment that she was being seen with such a woman. Amy heard a voice say: “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw – the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If the foundation survives, he will receive the reward.” Later she found these words in her Bible. Knowing her heart had been wrong while helping the old woman, she repented before the Lord and promised to follow His leading in her life. This began God’s call on Amy’s life.
Amy began to help the poor and needy, living among them while she ministered. But she soon felt a strong calling to go somewhere as a missionary. She didn’t know where, but through circumstances, God eventually directed her to India. There, like Hudson Taylor in China, Amy Carmichael donned an Indian sari and even stained her skin with dark coffee in hopes of better fitting in with the local people.
It was common for unwanted little girls to be given to the Hindu temples where they would spend their lives as temple prostitutes. The girls were considered “married to the gods” and thus had no rights. Abuse was common and sexual exploitation was their very purpose. When Amy met Preena, a temple runaway seeking protection, she knew why God had called her to India. She began to take in girls like Preena, providing a place of sanctuary for them in the little village of Dohnavur. She would travel miles on foot for the possibility of saving just one child. At Dohnavur, a community of love and protection developed that still exists today.
Despite lifelong health problems, Amy Carmichael worked fervently for the Lord. She understood how to take up her cross. In fact, a young woman considering the mission field once sent Amy a letter asking “What is missionary life like?” Amy’s reply was simple, yet profound: “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.”
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
