Fear No Evil
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4.
The first medical missionary assigned to Nigeria was Dr. George Green. In 1906, Dr. Green made his way in a small ship up the Niger River. The war drums were sounding. The captain of the ship told Dr. Green, “I can’t let you continue. The different villages are threatening one another with cannibalism. The drums say, ‘we will kill you and eat you.’ Dr. Green, you are a white man and a missionary. If I let you off the boat your life will be in great jeopardy.” Dr. Green’s response to the captain? “I have hundreds of friends in America praying for me. God has called me to this place. I have planned and prayed for this day for many years. I will proceed.”
God protected the life of Dr. Green over the next four decades. During that time, he founded dozens of clinics and hospitals. He trained hundreds of medical personnel including 250 surgeons. He lost track of the numbers of people he led to Christ, but the total was in the tens of thousands.
In 1944 Dr. Green furloughed to America for the last time. He said goodbye prior to his final return to Nigeria. Finally, he steamed up the same river he had come up 40 years before. As he sat on the deck, he quietly thanked God for the many years of protection and blessing. But suddenly he heard a sound he had not heard in many years. War drums! He remembered the war drums of 40 years before. Dr. Green stood and listened. Tears ran down his face. From the villages along the shore, he could hear the drums playing, “All hail the power of Jesus name, Let angels prostrate fall….”
The next time the cannibals are about to eat you alive remember to ask for the Lord’s protection. He can take you through the “shadow of death.” He can give you peace for “fear.” He can give you victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). His rod and His staff will comfort you.