Nothing Less Than Divine Power and Grace

Perhaps no one has had a greater impact on the spirit of modern missions than David Brainerd, a missionary to the American Indians. Brainerd died when he was twenty-nine years old, yet he had a significant impact on such figures as Jonathan Edwards, Jim Elliot, and John Wesley.

After much effort and physical suffering, Brainerd had oversight of a congregation of over 130 Christian Indians. Of this congregation, he writes the following:

“I know of no assembly of Christians where there seems to be so much of the presence of God, where brotherly love so much prevails, and where I should so much delight in the public worship of God, in general, as in my own congregation; although not more than nine months ago, they were worshipping devils and dumb idols under the power of pagan darkness and superstition. Amazing change this! Effected by nothing less than divine power and grace!”

– cited in Danny Akin, 10 Who Changed the World, 117 (from Jonathan Edwards’ The Life & Diary of David Brainerd)