"I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward."
- innerweavings
- Nov 10, 2019
- 4 min read
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"
Isaiah 52:7
On November 10, 1871, the only two white men in all of Sub-Saharan Africa met face-to-face in the culmination of a miraculous quest set in motion by the desire to bring Good News to what was then known to the outside world as the Dark Continent. At this improbable meeting, the younger man approached the older with a greeting that would make headlines and bring rejoicing around the world: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume."
To this inquiry, the older gentleman simply responded, "Yes."
Though David Livingstone may be sadly forgotten in our times, just a short century and half ago he was a superstar whose name and mission was known by virtually every Christian on the planet. He was a Scottish physician who dedicated his life to serving God throughout the continent of Africa. His journals, correspondence, newspaper articles, books, maps, and first-hand accounts were eagerly received by a curious public with little knowledge of this foreign land. Until Livingstone's explorations into uncharted territories, the most up to date maps of the time showed only a large blank space over the entire interior of Africa along with the explanation "Unknown."
Challenged by pioneering missionary Robert Moffat's lament, “I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no one has ever heard the name of Christ,” Livingstone would dedicate his life, too, as a missionary to the natives, tending to their medical needs, and exploring the interior of this vast unknown. While making his way from village to village, Livingstone was confronted with the dichotomy of all human life which was on full display across the African continent. From friendly villagers who greeted him with warmth and provision, to ferocious cannibals who would have taken his life if not for God's divine protection, From awe-inspiring sites such as Victoria Falls which showcased the Creator's magnificent handiwork, to deserts and swamps rife with deadly predators and insects. Then there were the malevolent diseases which sapped the strength, energy, and eventually the life of the hardiest of explorer. David Livingstone toiled tirelessly in this environment for more than thirty years.
Of all the evils Livingstone encountered, none were more devastating and widespread than that of slavery. He saw firsthand how this cruel system destroyed not only the life of the enslaved, but also the character of those who enslaved their fellow man. Realizing that the only way to effectively abolish this system was spiritual conversion accompanied by honest free trade, Livingstone explored potential trade routes to accomplish this purpose. His published exploits and discoveries brought him honors and awards. His journeys were followed by a public audience eager for the next update.
But in 1866 the great David Livingstone seemingly vanished. For more than four years there was no more correspondence. Credible rumors spread that he had been killed. In an effort to solve the mystery - and garner publicity - the New York Herald sent their cub reporter Henry Morton Stanley on a quest to find Dr. Livingstone. Though this was the equivalent of being sent on a mission to find a needle in an African sized haystack, Stanley eagerly accepted the assignment. It took more than 10 months of seeking leads, following potential trails, avoiding tribal conflicts and war, navigating difficult terrain, withstanding tropical diseases, and experiencing betrayals and double crossing from trusted guides, but Stanley finally got the confirmation he had hoped for from locals - that there was a white man in the village up ahead.
David Livingstone was indeed in the next village, Ujiji. Now little more than a human skeleton wracked by disease, starvation, and exhaustion, Dr. Livingstone had arrived at the village five days earlier in anticipation of the supplies that had been stored for him there. Alas, the food and medicine he so desperately needed had been stolen and sold by a local official. Now, without any further hope for survival, David Livingstone went in prayer to the God who had directed him to Africa so many, many years earlier and asked that His will be done.
These, then, were the circumstances under which Henry Morton Stanley strode into an African village on November 10th and uttered the understatement of the century: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume."
With the aid of the provisions and care Stanley provided, Livingstone recovered his strength enough to spend the next four months sharing the beauty of the continent and the native peoples. After this, Stanley departed to share his discovery, and the good Doctor labored on for a while longer in his beloved Africa.
On May 1, 1873, Livingstone’s faithful servant found him kneeling by the side of his bed with his head resting upon his folded hands. The great missionary, explorer and humanitarian had been received to Heaven with the pronouncement, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" His body was buried in Westminster Abbey on April 18, 1874, but his heart, literally and figuratively, remained in Africa.
Henry Morton Stanley served as chief pallbearer for Livingstone's funeral. Upon hearing of his good friend's passing, Stanley wrote: "Dear Livingstone! Another sacrifice for Africa! His mission, however, must not be allowed to cease; others must go forward and fill the gap....may I be selected to succeed him in opening Africa to the light of Christianity! May Livingstone's God be with me! May God direct me as He wills. I can only vow to be obedient and not to slacken." Though he had undertaken the newspaper assignment to find Livingstone from a pure sense of adventure rather than any spiritual sentiment, Henry Morton Stanley was so inspired by this godly man's character and testimony that he, too, became a missionary and explorer to the same continent.
At the beginning of his long and adventurous African service, David Livingstone had written in his journal: "I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward." And go forward he did!
May the light of David Livingstone continue to shine upon the continent to which he devoted his life and may his matchless example inspire us to let our light shine as well!
For further reading:
You can read David Livingstone's own account Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa here:
You can read Henry Morton Stanley's first hand narrative in How I Found Livingstone here:
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