When God Speaks:

Devotionals from Wycliffe missionaries about the power of Scripture

Foreword
To read or hear God’s Word in your own language is powerful. I recently heard a story from my
colleague, Angela, illustrating my conviction.

“When I was just getting started in missions, I spent a few months in Mexico. Immersed in an
unfamiliar culture, I became like a child again. My Spanish was minimal so I couldn’t commu-
nicate with people very well, I didn’t know how to do simple tasks in that culture, and I pretty
much had to just sit and observe the fascinating yet foreign world around me.

“Worship in church was difficult too. I knew the tunes well from my childhood, and I
could even sing the Spanish words using the hymnal. But I had no idea what they meant,
nor could I remember what the words were in English.

“I still remember the first worship service I attended when I returned to the States. As we sang
praise songs—in English—I burst into tears. Suddenly, the language of my heart meant so
much more to me! I could understand the words to the songs—with my head and with my
heart— and I could concentrate all of my attention simply on worshipping God.”

There are millions of people in the world who cannot enjoy church or the Bible in their own lan-
guage. If they have access to any Scripture, it’s in a language they only partially know. I have met
some of these people and know their stories, too. I have seen the impact and transformation when
they first hear the God of the universe speak to them in the language of their heart, the language
they learned as children.

The stories in this devotional are from Wycliffe missionaries who are devoting their lives to helping
people understand clearly who Jesus is so they can come to know Him and be transformed. They
are stories about how God has used His Word in the lives of these missionaries and the people they
serve. My heart is encouraged by the stories, and I invite you to let them touch your heart as well.

Warmly,

Bob Creson
President/CEO
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Wycliffe Bible Translators USA
Delivering Hope
Anonymous

I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word.
—Psalm 119:81 (NLT)

As we circled the grass airstrip, I was anxious that we were going to disappoint the
people waiting to greet us. These dear people had been living in a war zone for many
years. They had lost three successive crops to the fighting forces, and hunger was their
Personal Reflection
main diet. There had been no medical supplies in the town for several years. Even nor-
What would you have asked for:
mal commerce had ceased, and peoples’ clothing was literally wearing out. It would be
remedies for physical needs or
very understandable for the welcoming party to expect us to be flying in food, medi-
cines, or clothing. spiritual ones? What deep needs
do you have in your life today that
Despite the escalation of war, Bible translations had continued with displaced refugee only God can meet? Spend time in
communities from the three languages in the area. Songs and portions of Scripture had
prayer, confessing any ways that
been completed and published. There were alphabet books, primers, and storybooks in
all three languages. you might be looking to other
things to satisfy you instead of
One of the translators and I had hatched a plan to make the first visit to the town since looking to God for sustenance.
the war had made it impossible for staff to stay there. We wanted to take the Scripture
portions, the songbooks, and the reading materials with us, but two small footlock-
ers of those filled our entire cargo allowance. We knew people were hungry, sick, and
naked. Did we dare to not take food, medicines, and clothing? Finally we decided that
while others might bring in those goods, only we could bring in the newly published
sections of God’s Word.

As we disembarked from the plane, the welcoming party came forward, shook our
hands, and greeted us effusively. Then they asked us, “Did you bring us Bibles?”

I have often reflected on that moment. If I were hungry and ill and naked, would
I seek my physical needs more than my spiritual needs? The war had stripped our
friends of all their worldly possessions, but somehow they managed to keep their
priorities straight.

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A Change of Heart
By Rachel Yanac

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grand-
mother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in
you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when
I laid my hands on you.
—2 Timothy 1:5–6 (NLT)

“What have you done to my husband?” The words spilled out of the young Quechua
woman’s mouth as she burst through the door into Yepo and Marcelina’s home. “Victor
came back from the recording session a completely different person. You must have
Personal Reflection
spoken to him harshly or knocked him around a bit in order for such a drastic change What about you? Have some of the
to take place!”
flames in your heart died down to
Yepo, one of the Huaylas Quechua co-translators, had met Victor several years earlier mere embers? Perhaps the joy of
at a literacy workshop, and remembered him as a dedicated young Christian who was your salvation isn’t quite as “front
an exceptionally good reader. At Yepo’s recent invitation, Victor had left his village and center” as it used to be. Or
home and traveled to the capital city to take part in recording a dramatic reading of
maybe bitterness or unforgiveness
the newly translated Huaylas Quechua New Testament. But although he was still a
good reader, Victor had stumbled in his Christian walk, and was not living as a godly has crept in to replace the love that
husband and father. once resided there. Maybe just the
busyness of daily life has drawn
One morning during the recording sessions, the men read through Paul’s reminder to you away from a close relationship
Timothy of his godly upbringing, and Paul’s admonition to “fan into flames the spiri-
with your Lord. Take a moment
tual gift God gave you” (2 Tim. 1:5–6, NLT). Tears streamed down Victor’s face as he
recognized how far he had strayed from his own godly upbringing, and as he recom- right now to fan those embers back
mitted his life to Christ. into flame by spending some time
listening to God’s voice in your
No one had preached to Victor; no one had knocked him around or spoken harshly
own heart language.
to him. The changes that Victor’s wife noticed as soon as he returned home were the
result of the gentle voice of God Himself, speaking to Victor in his heart language.

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The Courage of the Apostles
By Barbara E. Hollenbach

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the
Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
—Acts 4:13 (NLT)

Even though he suffered from a severe phobia that kept him from leaving his house,
Aurelio* had gotten involved in reviewing translated Scripture in his Zitec* language.
We had to travel to the city where he lived or send files back and forth on a memory
Personal Reflection
stick in order to work with him, but his contribution was worth the trouble. Read Acts 4:1–31. Can you think of
By the time we finished the translation of Acts, Aurelio had become a fluent reader. a time when you needed to be filled
Since he has a clear and pleasant speaking voice, we wanted him to record the book, with courage from the Holy Spirit,
but he did not want to. He said, “I’m not worthy to be recording this for my people, and He delivered? Whether it was
because the apostles risked their lives to proclaim God’s Word, and I won’t even step freedom from a phobia like Aurelio
out the door.”
experienced, or the boldness to face
Not long after that, Aurelio announced that he was going to go to the house where we adversity like the apostles received,
were staying. He got into our car and went with us to spend the night there. That was spend time praising God for the ways
the first time he had left the house in ten years, and he did it to follow in the footsteps He has provided for you.
of the apostles. After this first victory, he decided to travel to the town where we lived
and stay for a few weeks because he knew that he could make a better contribution to Are you modeling the courage of the
the translation if he were there. He packed his things and got into our car to go there apostles today? What might God be
with us. Again, this trip was undertaken at considerable emotional cost, but with the
calling you to do now in His name
courage of faith.
that requires faith and boldness?
Aurelio recorded the book of Acts after all, and bit by bit he continued to stretch him-
self beyond his comfort zone until he was leading a normal life. At one of the literacy
workshops he attended, he met the girl who is now his wife. God set this man free from
a crippling phobia as he responded to a book of Scripture in his own language.

*pseudonyms

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Bread of Life
By Dustin Moody

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry
again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
—John 6:35 (NLT)

“How do you explain Jesus as the bread of life to someone with no concept of bread?”

That was the rhetorical question thrown my way by a Bible professor on my first trip to Personal Reflection
Africa. We were learning about Bible translation efforts in Congo—a fragile country in
In what ways has Jesus satisfied the
eastern Africa that had been ravaged by decades of civil war, resulting in thousands of
displaced Congolese refugees. spiritual hunger in your heart? Often-
times we forget that we are not just
I knew what bread was. I understood it as a food staple. I could comprehend what Jesus dependent on Jesus for our initial
meant when He said that He was the “bread of life”—because it all made sense in my
salvation, but we also need Him to
language. But how does someone understand that when there is no “bread” as English
speakers know it? sustain us every hour of every day.
Spend time in prayer reflecting on
The professor’s question rang in my ears like a cannon. For more than two decades, I the ways He has preserved and kept
had read the Bible in my own language, never appreciating the work that took place
you, and ask Him to remind you of
centuries ago to bring God’s Word into the language of the English commoner. Now, I
your dependence on Him.
was halfway around the world meeting people who had never enjoyed the “bread” that
I had.

The words of Christ took on a whole new level of importance. “I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again” (John 6:35, NLT). Suddenly the
faces of those who were still “hungry” for this “bread” looked eerily familiar—it was
the face of the man who had helped us get our bags off the airplane when we landed on
the dusty airstrip to begin our time in Africa. It was the face of the woman at the hotel
who checked us into our rooms. It was the face of the student studying to be a Bible
translator for his own language community at the university where we were working.

For them, maybe Jesus is the rice of life. Perhaps He is the tortilla. Or He might be the
cassava of life. Whatever He is, they need Him. They need Him just as much as I need
my own “bread of life.”

Today, several years removed from that encounter in Congo, the verse hangs on the
wall of my kitchen. It serves as a reminder of Jesus’ provision in my life and the spiri-
tual hunger that still exists for those who have never heard of Him.

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Remember What God
Has Done
Anonymous

Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you
out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the LORD your God has
commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.
—Deuteronomy 5:15 (NLT)

My wife and I were just weeks away from travelling to the Konghi* valley for the first
time. The people who live there speak an unwritten language and have never seen a Personal Reflection
Bible in any language. We were so excited about beginning to work among them. Then
suddenly the door slammed in our faces. Sudden violence in the area made it impos- Remembering what God has done
sible for us to travel there. We followed the Lord’s leading and traveled as close to the in the past gives us the confidence
Konghi valley as we could. There in a small city we prayed that God would bring some
to obey Him each day. It is helpful to
of the Konghi people to us.
remember what God has done for
The people of the city were not encouraging. Most said that they had never met a others (e.g., the Israelites), but there
Konghi speaker, and others did not even know where the Konghi valley was. But many is special potency in remembering
people around the world were praying. After about two weeks of waiting on the Lord, what God has done for me. Take
there was a knock on our door. We welcomed some Konghi speakers into our home for
note of those special times where
the first time. God answered the prayers of His people. This began a relationship that
we continue to this day. you experienced God’s work in your
life. Then look back and praise Him
We are still in the beginning stages of our project. Surely, there are many trials and for it. Our present peace, faith, and
impossibilities yet to come. But we pray that God will help us to remember how He
obedience are connected to our in-
miraculously brought these men to us in the beginning. This memory reminds us of
tentional remembrance of the words
whose work this really is and whose power will see it done.
and works of God.
*pseudonym

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The Power of Blessing
by Aretta Loving

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and
curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you
would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this
choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to
him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long
in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
—Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (NLT)

“He’s dying! My brother’s dying,” Konime, a pastor in Papua New Guinea, told my
husband and me. He was convinced his brother, Mahki, would die because, “Someone
put a curse on him.”
Personal Reflection
It took great faith for the Lovings to
Konime led us to a dark hut where we found Mahki lying on a mat, unable to walk and
barely able to speak. “He won’t eat the food I bring him,” his wife tearfully confided. believe in the power of their prayers.
They trusted that they had been
It’s true. He is dying. And he will die unless God intervenes, we concluded. heard and that “the battle had been
We asked Mahki if we could pray for him. A slight lifting of his head and a nod con- won” before God ever showed signs
veyed his, “Yes.” of restoring Mahki.

We cried out to our heavenly Father, asking Him to intervene for Mahki. We spoke In the book of John, Jesus tells us
forth the words of Deuteronomy 30:19–20. that if we believe in Him, we will do
We chose life and blessing for Mahki. “Lord, cause him to also choose life over death, “the same works I have done, and
your blessing over the enemy’s curse,” we prayed. And we spoke a blessing over Maki, even greater works” (John 14:12,
saying, “Lord, we know you want to bless your child Mahki. And we bless him.” Last, NLT). Take some time to examine
we rebuked the curse. your own faith. Do you believe that
the Holy Spirit has given you the
Exhausted, but feeling the battle had been won, we sat quietly in expectation of what
God would do. We watched with thanksgiving to our miracle-working God as Mahki power to do the same works Jesus
slowly sat up. He looked up and gave us a weak smile. Before we left, his delighted wife did on earth? In what ways have you
brought him food and he began to eat. seen God faithfully bless you, and
use you to bless others? What are you
A literal hands-on experience that day taught us how exceedingly powerful a curse is.
We also realized in contrast that if a curse is this powerful, how much more powerful is doing today to exercise your faith?
a blessing when given in the all-powerful name of Jesus Christ!

Recently we met Mahki’s daughter, who told us, “Shortly after you prayed for my father,
he was open to receiving Jesus. My uncle, Pastor Konime, had the joy of leading his
brother to the Lord and then baptizing him!”
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A Flat Tire
By Sue Pfaff

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
—Psalm 91:11 (NLT)

Even though we’d been in Papua New Guinea only a few months, we had heard many
times that hold-ups on the roads were not uncommon at night. In spite of efforts to
leave sooner, we found that our 3:30 p.m. departure from the Highlands for an ap-
Personal Reflection
pointment in the coastal city of Madang meant that we would still be on the road an Read Psalm 91. When have you expe-
hour after the sun had set.
rienced the Lord’s protection? How
As soon as night had fallen, one of our car tires went flat. might your life look different if you
lived according to God’s promises to
As I sat in the backseat of our sedan with our one-year-old daughter and newborn son,
rescue you from every trap, protect
in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, my husband, Jerry, pulled out the spare
you as you trust in His name, and
tire and began to loosen the lug nuts on the flat one. Peering out at the dark jungle on
either side of us, my body tensed as I watched the headlights of an approaching vehicle. keep evil from conquering you?

The pickup truck stopped near us, and my heart pounded as I watched several men
jump down from the truck and surround the back of our car. No sooner had I called
out to God to help and protect us than I felt the car being lifted off the ground with my
children and me still sitting inside. Desperately I continued my prayers that we would
not be harmed. Hardly a minute later, the men set the car back down, climbed back
into their truck, and took off.

These men had joined together to become a human car jack, allowing Jerry to swiftly
change the tire and be on the move again.

We have no idea who those men were. For all we know, they could even have been
angels. But one thing we know—we serve a great and mighty God. He rescues and
protects those who acknowledge His name (Psalm 91:14).

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