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A frail young man [David Brainerd], with sad, lustrous eyes and face so blanched that
he seems to be the palest of the palefaces, is engaged on a serious and
dangerous mission. Having heard of a tribe of particularly ferocious Indians
living in the dense forests of the region known as the "Forks of the |
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As the warriors silently draw near, they see the white man on his
knees, praying most fervently that the Indians might come to realize that the
great God of the universe loved them and sent His Son to save them. While he prays,
a rattlesnake squirms up to him, lifts its hideous head, flicks its forked
tongue close to his face, and then, for no apparent reason, glides away into
the darkness. And so does the chief, followed by his men. |
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When the young missionary enters the Indian village early the next
morning, he receives a much more cordial welcome than he had anticipated, for
not until later does he learn of the strange events of the preceding night.
When the people gather around him in an open place among the wigwams, he
opens his Bible, reads from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah and tenderly
tells the sweet story of how God sent His Son to die on the cross that He
might take away the sin from people's hearts and make them good children of
the Heavenly Father. At the close of his message there are tears in the eyes
of many of his auditors. |
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"The paleface is a praying man!" remarks one of the warriors
who had gone forth the preceding night intending to kill him. |
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"And the Great Spirit is with him!" says another,
remembering how the rattlesnake had mysteriously failed to strike. |
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"And he brings a wondrous sweet message!" says the squaw of
the Indian chief. |
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From:
Heroes of Faith on Pioneer Trails by E. Myers Harrison. Published by Moody
Press, |
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David
Brainerd (1718-1747) was a missionary to the American Indians in |
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