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Elisabeth Elliot
Elisabeth Elliot (1926–2015). Born Elisabeth Howard on December 21, 1926, in Brussels, Belgium, to missionary parents, Elisabeth Elliot was an American missionary, author, and speaker known for her writings on faith and suffering. Raised in a devout family, she moved to the U.S. as a child and graduated from Wheaton College in 1948 with a degree in Greek. In 1952, she went to Ecuador as a missionary, where she met and married Jim Elliot in 1953. After Jim and four others were killed by Waorani tribesmen in 1956, Elisabeth continued ministering to the Waorani, living among them with her daughter, Valerie, for two years, leading to many conversions. She returned to the U.S. in 1963, becoming a prolific author and speaker, penning Through Gates of Splendor (1957), Shadow of the Almighty (1958), Passion and Purity (1984), and Let Me Be a Woman (1976), emphasizing obedience to God. Elliot hosted the radio program Gateway to Joy from 1988 to 2001, reaching a global audience. Married three times—to Jim Elliot, Addison Leitch (1969–1973, until his death), and Lars Gren (1977–2015)—she died of dementia on June 15, 2015, in Magnolia, Massachusetts. Elliot said, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.”
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Elisabeth Elliot emphasizes the intertwined nature of loneliness, sadness, and comfort in the Christian journey, highlighting that experiencing moments of despair allows us to fully appreciate the comfort and presence of the Lord. She draws parallels to biblical figures like Joseph, Daniel, and his friends, showcasing how their trials became opportunities for divine intervention and revelation. Elliot underscores the importance of being placed in challenging 'proof contexts' like prisons, lion's dens, and furnaces to truly understand and experience the truths found in Scripture.
Difficulties Are Proof Contexts
Repeatedly I am asked variations of this question: Did the Lord comfort you or were you sometimes lonely or sad? It is not an either-or thing. If I had not been lonely and sad at times, how could I have needed, received, or appreciated comfort? It is the sick who need the physician, the thirsty who need water. This is why Paul not only did not deplore his weaknesses, he "gloried" in them, for they provided the very occasions for his appropriating divine help and strength. It was in prison that Joseph knew the presence of the Lord. It was in the lion's den that Daniel's faith was proved. It was in the furnace that Daniel's three friends found themselves accompanied by a fourth. We have plenty of "proof texts"--but in order to experience their truth we have to be placed in "proof contexts." The prison, the lion's den, the furnace are where we are shown the realities, incontestably and forever.
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Elisabeth Elliot (1926–2015). Born Elisabeth Howard on December 21, 1926, in Brussels, Belgium, to missionary parents, Elisabeth Elliot was an American missionary, author, and speaker known for her writings on faith and suffering. Raised in a devout family, she moved to the U.S. as a child and graduated from Wheaton College in 1948 with a degree in Greek. In 1952, she went to Ecuador as a missionary, where she met and married Jim Elliot in 1953. After Jim and four others were killed by Waorani tribesmen in 1956, Elisabeth continued ministering to the Waorani, living among them with her daughter, Valerie, for two years, leading to many conversions. She returned to the U.S. in 1963, becoming a prolific author and speaker, penning Through Gates of Splendor (1957), Shadow of the Almighty (1958), Passion and Purity (1984), and Let Me Be a Woman (1976), emphasizing obedience to God. Elliot hosted the radio program Gateway to Joy from 1988 to 2001, reaching a global audience. Married three times—to Jim Elliot, Addison Leitch (1969–1973, until his death), and Lars Gren (1977–2015)—she died of dementia on June 15, 2015, in Magnolia, Massachusetts. Elliot said, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.”