Books written years ago by missionary Amy Carmichael continue to encourage Christians around the world. But Carmichael didn’t set out to be an author. She turned to writing when she was bedridden, suffering from multiple injuries as a result of a fall that would cripple her with pain and confine her to a bed for the last two decades of her life.
Just before the accident, Carmichael prayed, “Do anything, Lord, that will fit me to serve Thee and help my beloveds.” She didn’t expect such service to take place within the four walls of her bedroom or for her prayer to be answered with a debilitating accident. And that wasn’t the first time the Lord’s plans for Carmichael’s life were different than her own.
Perhaps you’ve been encouraged by Carmichael’s writing or inspired by her care for children rescued from Hindu temple servitude, but neither of those ministries was on her mind when she set out for a life of service to the Lord. As we navigate redirections of our own, we can be encouraged by how God used Carmichael’s life in powerful ways, particularly in circumstances she didn’t expect.
Called to Go
At a young age, Carmichael left her home in what is now Northern Ireland to attend boarding school in England. While there, she meditated on the popular hymn “Jesus Loves Me” and came to saving faith in Christ. Financial hardships forced her to return home before completing her education, and shortly after, her father passed away from pneumonia. This was only the beginning of many difficult circumstances Carmichael’s heavenly Father used to continue drawing her to himself.
As we navigate redirections of our own, we can be encouraged by how God used Carmichael’s life in powerful ways.
One day, while Carmichael thumbed through her prayer journal, the words of Matthew 28:19 rang in her ears: “Go ye” (KJV). She sensed the Lord calling her to serve as a foreign missionary. So she set her sights on China. But with her trunks packed, she was rejected by the China Inland Mission doctor on health grounds—another frustrating reassignment. It wouldn’t be her last.
Redirected by the Lord
Determined nonetheless, Carmichael applied for the Japanese Evangelistic Band. Almost a year later, she at last embarked upon a new missionary journey to Japan. With prayer as their driving force, Carmichael and her colaborer, Misaki San, saw many people come to faith in Christ. But soon, Carmichael began to suffer from painful headaches, and her doctor recommended a long rest. So she went to Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) and stayed with missionary friends.
Soon after, an influential mentor and friend endured a stroke, temporarily bringing Carmichael back to England. After spending some time there, she began working with the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in India. She left Britain at age 27, never returning to her homeland. Though she’d faced years of redirections, Carmichael continued pursuing her calling to go and make disciples of all nations, finally finding her place on the mission field.
In India, she learned Tamil and organized a band of dedicated Christian women called “The Starry Cluster” who went from village to village, carrying the gospel to the unreached.
One day, the Lord mysteriously brought Carmichael a young child named Preena, who opened her eyes to the realities of child servitude in the Hindu temples. The Lord continued to expand Carmichael’s family by bringing her more “temple children.” Eventually, she established an entire foundation called the Dohnavur Fellowship where they lived, learned, worshiped, and worked together.
Surrendered to Service
Young Carmichael would have loved knowing she’d spend her life on the foreign mission field—even though she never made it to China as she’d initially planned. The many twists and turns of Carmichael’s story remind us that all things—perhaps especially the hard things—work together for the good of those who love God.
The twists and turns of Carmichael’s story remind us that all things work together for the good of those who love God.
I was first introduced to Carmichael’s story in my sophomore year of college. Just like her, I wanted to serve the Lord overseas in India. Her life inspired me to know, love, and follow God whatever the cost, and her story encouraged me when my dreams of ministry in India didn’t come to fruition.
Knowing Carmichael’s story helps us see how the Lord uses ministry redirections to prepare us for the good works he has lined up for us. It reminds us to view hardship as an opportunity to cling to the Word, rely on prayer, and grow up in our faith. And it teaches us to surrender ourselves to Christian service, even when it looks different than we expect—just like Amy Carmichael did.
The Gospel Coalition