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‘We Rest on Thee’

I suppose most of you have heard of the five American

missionaries who attempted to make contact with the Auca tribes
in Ecuador in 1956. They had already exchanged gifts but wanted
to deepen their contact - to tell them about Jesus. To show they
carried no weapons, they entered the river, singing this hymn. It
was a favourite of each one of them. But when the expected
phone call from one of them, back to base, was not received,
rescue teams were notified! All five had been killed!

But God in his amazing grace and mercy, in the face of such
tragedy, sadness and sorrow, opened a way for the tribe to hear
about the Saviour. Elizabeth Elliot, the wife of one of the
missionaries, expecting a baby when her husband was killed,
returned to the tribe with her baby, and was welcomed by them.
Through her love and witness many came to trust in Jesus.

Here is that lovely hymn to the tune Finlandia:

We rest on Thee, our shield and our defender!
we go not forth alone against the foe;
strong in Thy strength, and in Thy keeping tender,
we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.
Strong in Thy strength, and in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.

Yes, in Thy name, O Captain of salvation!
in Thy dear name, all other names above,
Jesus our righteousness, our sure foundation,
our Prince of glory and our King of love.
Jesus our righteousness, our sure foundation
our Prince of glory and our King of love.

We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
and needing more each day Thy grace to know:
yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
‘we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go,
yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.

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