Pioneer: to open or prepare for others to follow also

An orphan, prophetess, missionary, prisoner of war, immigrant. What do these five characteristics have in common? They describe 5 women that have impacted my life. That have encouraged and guided me in my walk with the Lord. They are women that have paved the way and gone before me. Esther, Anna, Elisabeth, Corrie and Ruth. Women who have all played a role in shaping me and my Christian walk.

1. Esther

Esther was an orphaned girl who was thrust into royal life. Sure, she was made queen of one of the largest kingdoms of the time period (hey who doesn’t dream of being the queen/princess in the story). But it wasn’t all balls, fancy dresses, and high tea. She knew her position wouldn’t necessarily save her and her people from certain death. She had to act whether she wanted to or not, whether she had the courage to or not, whether she thought she was adequate for the job or not. 

She was born for such a time as this. To take on that leadership role and save an entire people. To step in the gap and use her God-given talents and abilities to change history. She was probably scared, petrified even. She could have been banished or sentenced to death at any turn. But she fasted and prayed and placed it in God’s hands. God placed her there and He would see her through it. 

If I’m being honest, I wish I was more like Esther sometimes. If God calls me to do something, He’ll see me through it. Instead many times I doubt and second guess the Lord and the call he has on my life. 

2. Anna

The Prophetess Anna, is only mentioned in 3 verses in the Bible, yet they are jam-packed verses. Luke chapter 2 tells her story, she was an old widow from the tribe of Asher. She was a prophetess that had been faithful to seeking God for years. The Bible describes her as not departing from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 

Anna knew God, and because she knew Him she recognized Jesus when they brought Him to the temple to be presented to God. She picked the family out of the crowd. She didn’t need a big sign that said “HERE IS THE MESSIAH”. Her intimacy with God gave her the insight to recognize him even in a small infant. She got to be a fulfillment of prophecy. Because she sought God and worshipped Him nonstop.

Can you imagine that kind of intimacy with God? Hearing his still small voice and not doubting that it’s Him?

3. Elisabeth Elliot

Elisabeth Elliot and her husband Jim were missionaries in Ecuador in the 50s. God called them to minister there to the Quechua Native Americans. When Jim and four other missionaries attempted to make contact with the tribe all five were speared to death, leaving Elisabeth widowed and their 10-month-old daughter orphaned. I can't even fathom such hurt or despair. 

“The deepest things that I have learned in my own life have come from the deepest suffering. And out of the deepest waters and the hottest fires have come the deepest things I know about God.”

Elisabeth Elliot

With that mindset, Elisabeth picked herself up and learned the language of the Quechua. She eventually moved into the tribe alongside her then 3-year-old daughter. Many in the tribe would come to know God as their Lord and Savior. 

Not a single person would have faulted her if she left Ecuador and never wanted to see the people that so brutally killed her husband and his four companions. Elisabeth knew what God had called her to do and she obeyed. Despite the hurt, despite how hard and how unfair it seemed. Because of her obedience, a people group that had never been reached was reached with the Gospel. 

What an incredible legacy to leave. It’s so easy to not tell someone about Jesus because they offended us. We can sit in our offense and say to ourselves: “we know they won't receive the Gospel.” But what if we obeyed when God spoke to us? What if we moved past our own pain and hurt to obey regardless of our feelings? What kind of impact could we leave in the world? 

4. Corrie Ten Boom

Corrie Ten Boom, her story is probably one of my favorites. I think it’s because I got to visit her house while I lived in Holland. Corrie was a Dutch watchmaker's daughter. Her father, sister, and her lived in the family home in Haarlem. When World War II broke out the Ten Boom family realized they couldn’t just sit back and let the injustices happening to their Jewish neighbors go on without doing something. So they were part of the underground movement to help people escape the Nazi Gestapo. Their home was a “hiding place,” a refuge for close to 800 Jewish refugees escaping Holland. 

Unfortunately, the Ten Boom family was betrayed and thrown into prison, and later sent to concentration camps. Her father died days after being betrayed and her sister Betsy died in the concentration camp.

 “In the concentration camp where I saw my sister starve to death, I had joy because I was more intimately acquainted with Jesus Christ.”

Corrie Ten Boom

Of her family, Corrie was the only one to survive.

“I didn’t know that a week before they killed all the women of my age, I would be set free by a miracle of God and a blunder of man.”

Despite having to walk through some of the worst forms of tortures and sorrow, Corrie had joy because of her trust in God. She acknowledged His sovereignty in all aspects of her life. Her trust in God is truly remarkable. She’s known for saying "there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still". She chose joy because she knew the giver of joy was ultimately in control of all. 

5. Ruth

This is a life that influenced me in more ways than I’ll ever truly know. Ruth was born in Guatemala, and as a young adult, she moved to New York. While in New York she worked, saved money, and put her paperwork in to get a green card to live permanently in the country. After some time she moved back to Guatemala, got married, and had a child. That's when the U.S came calling, offering her a green card, the only thing was that the green card was only for her. So she dragged her husband and infant child to the embassy to meet with the officials and explain that she couldn’t go alone because now she had a family. 

In a miraculous way, the Lord opened the doors and the official said yes to her, her husband, and her child to get permanent residence in the USA. And anyone that has ever had to apply for a visa into any country can testify to that being completely unheard of.

But God is the God of the impossibilities. The little family moved to the US and every step of the way saw God’s hand of provision was over their family. God provided a good job for her husband that allowed the family the freedom to visit and not be too far from the family they left behind in Guatemala. Ruth had prayed and asked God for a home for her and her growing family, and in grand splendor, God answered her prayer and provided a newly built house as their home. 

Ruth had come to know God as a child in Guatemala. She had seen Him move in her parents and siblings lives. She had chosen to seek Him first above all else and she taught her children to do the same thing. So when her husband said “I’m leaving,” and sought a divorce, her life was surely shaken but not completely shattered. She once again placed her life in God’s hands. When she thought she wouldn’t be able to pay for the house, the gift God had given her, she placed it in God’s hands. God in all of His goodness provided.

See, I watched my mother first hand place all of those broken pieces in God’s hands expecting Him to handle them, to put them back together. Every morning I would see my mom on her knees in prayer. Her Bible was forever placed at the end of the table, always open to the current passage she was reading. Despite her circumstances she trusted God and His sovereignty. She knew He was good and that He would never abandon her. 

The lessons I have learned from these women are unmatched. My mom tangibly taught me to trust God in all circumstances, even when life seems unfair. She taught me the power of prayer. She taught me the gift it is to lay all of your burdens at the feet of the Creator of all things. Corrie encouraged me to stand up for the injustices in the world, even if that means there might be a personal cost. Elisabeth showed me the power of forgiveness and stepping in to the calling God has on my life. She taught me that obedience could potentially lead me to a life-changing adventure. And who isn’t up for an adventure? Anna taught me that knowing the Father’s voice is such a precious gift. One I don’t want to miss out on. Esther taught me that just because I’m a woman, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a plan for me that could potentially change nations and the course of history. 

In the comments below, share a woman who has impacted you tremendously.