"We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go against this multitude." 2 Chronicles 14:11
Words: Edith Gilling Cherry, circa 1895.
Music: "Finlandia," Jean Sibelius, 1899
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This hymn has a sad story associated with it. In January 1956, five missionaries sang this hymn before entering the Ecuadorian jungle to bring the Gospel to the Auca Indians. Their names were Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Jim Elliott, Roger Yoderian, and Peter Fleming. After the men reached the Aucas, the Indians murdered them on the Curaray River. However, the story has a happy ending. Years later, contact with the Aucas was re-established, and many came to Christ, including the killers, which is how first hand details of the missionaries' deaths came to light.
One of the best known of the five martyrs was Jim Elliot. A number of his sayings are still quoted (e.g., "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose"). Elliot's wife Elisabeth went on to considerable fame as an author and broadcaster. Her book Through the Gates of Splendor describes the encounter with the Aucas; its title comes from a line in this hymn.