Invisible Giants
Influence is not always tied to celebrity.
July, 2016
A Boston Sunday school teacher once went to visit a 17-year-old shoe salesman at work. The boy was timid, stubborn, a known troublemaker, and had never gotten past the fifth grade in school. His father died young, so as a toddler the boy was sent away to work for his own room and board. According to the Sunday school teacher, he'd hardly met anyone with a "spiritually darker" mind than this young man. And yet, following the lead of the Holy Spirit, this teacher had faithfully witnessed to the teen. On this particular day, the young man was converted in the back room of the store.
Human nature expects the story to end there, in an unremarkable and probably meaningless conversation. In point of fact, the teen in question was exactly the type the world would typically reject. From a religious standpoint, he was a lost cause. But that teenager became a passionate and committed believer. He overcame his limitations, drawing others to his ministry. Within a year, he had converted an old shack into a ministry hub, with over 650 people attending services. Five years after being converted, this same young man was visited by the President of the United States during a prayer meeting. And that was only the beginning.
He went on to minister during one of history's worst wars, evangelize all over the world, found a major Bible school, and see literally hundreds of thousands of souls saved through his ministry. This so-called "lost cause," who was converted in 1855, who was visited by Lincoln in 1860, and who partnered with Spurgeon in the 1870's, was none other than D. L. Moody. Today his name is renowned as one of history's greatest evangelists. However, very few people know the name of the Boston Sunday school teacher who led him to Christ: Edward Kimball.
In John chapter 4, Jesus sits by a well and speaks to a Samaritan woman. This woman is part of a despised culture (John 4:9), outcast due to her immoral life (John 4:16–18), and sidelined due to her gender (John 4:27). But when she meets Jesus, her life changes. She takes what she's been given and tells others (John 4:28–30). As a result, countless others are saved (John 4:39–40), and the gospel takes root in Samaria. History tells us nothing else about this woman, but her impact is unmistakable.
Edward Kimball is not a name most people know. But his faithful obedience to God helped create one of history's most influential forces for Christ. The repercussions even blessed Kimball's own family. Many years later, Moody met one of Kimball's sons, who at the time was not a believer. Moody led him to Christ.
The Samaritan woman, D. L. Moody, and Edward Kimball are all examples of how God can use anyone to accomplish His purposes, fanfare or not. We should be careful about who we dismiss as unreachable, unlovable, or useless. God might have different plans. We should also take comfort in knowing that some of history's most fantastic spiritual victories are those which nobody but God remembers. But He does remember, in fact, and He will reward us accordingly (Matthew 6:6). Truth be told, we can’t know what God is ready to do with a life, either ours or someone else's. And we'll never find out, unless we're willing to follow Him in faith.
As we study His word, and live as disciples, we should keep these invisible giants in mind. Every day, society brands people as hopeless sinners, trivial oddballs, or forgettable nobodies. This is not God's view; neither should it be ours. We should remember the woman at the well, Edward Kimball, and D. L. Moody before we dismiss anyone's value or potential. We just might be turning up our nose at one of God's great champions…or turning down the chance to be one ourselves!
-- Editor
