Great Women of Faith Series: Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Written by Shelsea Becker

“Satan is so much more in earnest than we are--he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.”

― Amy Carmichael

When I first read this quote, by Amy Carmichael ( a missionary to India for 55 years) it hit me right square in my feels. And I do not mean my “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy,” feels. I actually found myself holding my breath; caught right in the gut of conviction. 

I once heard God say to me that “we are too slow to respond” to His leading, His voice. Take that and couple with the above quote and now I am swimming in deeper revelation to what God is saying to me. I have always thought it was about obedience; and it is but here I am learning the quicker we obey is what actually disarms the enemy sooner. It is for our good and our protection! Our hesitance creates the space for the enemy to move and create havoc.

We spend so much time second guessing ourselves, questioning if we truly heard God, and over think. The time we spend on fretting and contemplating, Satan is already moving. He doesn’t waste time to seize any and every opportunity to separate us from God; to keep us from fulfilling our calling, from doing the good work that He has already purposed for us to do. The enemy of our soul is very intentional, relentless, and doesn’t procrastinate when opportunities arise. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

How much more should our resolve be?

Notice what our hang-up tends to be…the cost. Let’s talk about the cost we keep a tally on. Serving the Lord and people will cost you something; not just finances but time, energy, resources, mental exhaustion, physical labor, comfort, reputation, and relationships. Because we are human with emotions, those things can cause pain. We are reluctant to pay the price because of the fear of pain. More often than not, fear is the underlying reason for not moving forward. We must remember “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) When we drill down, ask ourselves the hard questions, and seriously reflect - we can discover why we hold back from obeying.

To stop and think about the cost of Calvary changes my opinion on my own “cost” that I am “paying”. One of the biggest cost and most needed expense is the dying to self. Everything falls short to what Jesus did for me on the cross; taking my sin, my shame, my transgressions. He picked me up out of despair, put my feet on solid ground, healed my deepest wounds, restored my joy, and walks with me in the secret places. Out of the love relationship I want to obey Him because of what He has done for me but also because I now know His way is better. 

Amy Carmichael understood good versus evil in a very real way. Born in Ireland in 1867, she grew up in a churchgoing family and knew the Lord from an early age. Her heart was always drawn to the underprivileged. In 1895, Amy arrived in Bangalore, India at the age of 28 as a missionary. She never left. Instead this became her home and her calling. She immersed herself into the culture, learning the language, wearing the same clothing, and would dye her skin in order to blend in. Her resolve started with a young 7 year old girl named Preena. This child had escaped from a Hindu Temple where she was sold into sex slavery. She was to be a temple prostitute. Amy refused to give her back and for the next 50 years, she devoted herself to rescuing these children. She created https://dohnavurfellowship.org which is still in existence today. A home, nurseries, cottages, schools, and a hospital were all created by moving when God told her to move. The opposition was great BUT GOD! She understood the cost and obeyed anyway. Now countless people have been impacted by her ministry, her books, and her love for Christ. 

As I was writing this, I kept hearing a song with the lyrics “taking my sin my cross my shame, rising again I bless your name, You are my all in all”. Heather Grissom has it on her God’s Hug Spotify playlist: Above All/ You Are My All in All .

Spend some time listening to this song and in prayer ask the Lord to show you how to move without hesitation when He opens a door, to not allow fear to keep from obedience, and thank Him for paying the price.

Dig Deeper:

The devil isn’t procrastinating…why do you?

What cost are you paying and when held up to the cost of Calvary how do they compare?

How can you hear and obey in a more swift manner?

-------------------------