Day 7
The Mind of a Missionary Devotional

The Promise of Resurrection
Nik and Ruth Ripken

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

A lone vehicle sped through the dark streets of Nairobi, Kenya, in the early hours of Easter, March 28, 1997. Scattered streetlights cast a dim glow on the potholed boulevard. With one hand on the wheel, Nik Ripken frantically struggled to revive his son, Timothy, who had just had a sudden cardiac arrest. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at the hospital. By this point, Tim was unconscious but breathing.

Medical staff rushed the boy into the emergency room. Tim’s father felt powerless. He wished there was something he could do to help his son, but he could only watch and wait and pray. Within an hour, Tim’s mother arrived at the hospital. Shaken and alarmed, she threw her arms around her husband. They embraced under the sterile, fluorescent hospital lights. But it was too late. An inexplicable sadness spread through them as the doctors informed them that Timothy was gone. He was only sixteen years old.

As a young life slipped beyond the veil of this world on that Easter Day in 1997, the promise of resurrection seemed to depart with it. But God had greater plans. Little did the Ripken family realize a new season of faith, hope, and Gospel love was on the horizon.

The loss of Timothy only added to the ongoing struggle of the Ripkens’ missionary work. They had been serving as relief workers in Somalia during the bloody civil war. Remember the movie Black Hawk Down? They were there, right in the middle of the conflict. Nik Ripken lost close friends—persecuted Christians living in a predominantly Muslim nation. His heart was weighed down as he navigated the unpredictable nature of the mission field, the emotional strain of ministering in a dangerous field, and the feeling of inadequacy as the work met with constant obstacles.

Grappling with the difficulties, Ripken wrote, “After all the time, the expense, the energy, and the sacrifice expended by so many people, what (if anything) had our years in Somalia really accomplished?” Their missionary efforts, coupled with the personal tragedy of losing Timothy, were devastating blows that shook the very foundations of their belief and calling. The profound grief and sorrow led to a deeper, more fundamental question: “Is Jesus worth it?” This pivotal question propelled the Ripkens into a new season of ministry and exploration.

Driven by the underlying question of Christ’s worth, Nik and his wife, Ruth, embarked on a global pilgrimage to places where Christians suffered under severe persecution. What did they believe about God’s sovereignty? How did they carry resurrection hope amidst the threats of imprisonment and martyrdom? Did they truly believe Jesus was worth their ongoing sufferings? Powerful testimonies of faith under fire emerged as their travels began in 1998.

Crisscrossing the globe, the Ripkens traveled to seventy-two countries, conducting interviews with more than six hundred persecuted believers from around the world. Their experiences in Eastern Europe, China, India, Central and Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and Africa brought them face to face with the stark realities of the Church under persecution. “There is no such thing as the ‘free Church’ and the ‘persecuted Church,’” Ruth Ripken poignantly noted. “There is just the Church.” They were one with the body of Christ, knitted together in the hope of God’s resurrection power despite difficulties.

The faithful followers of Christ they met echoed the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” The Ripkens saw that the hope of the resurrection bolstered believers’ faith, emboldening them to share the Gospel with friends and enemies alike. Even in the midst of sorrow and loss, God’s grace was sufficient for them, for His power was made perfect in their weaknesses.

Documenting their story in the bestselling book, The Insanity of God, the Ripkens uncovered powerful narratives of faith, hope, and perseverance. Their book revealed neither prison bars nor persecution could pluck hope from a believer’s heart. God’s purposes were fulfilled even in the most challenging trials and tribulations. Penning their story reminded Nik and Ruth that Jesus was worth everything they encountered, even the loss of their son. For, past the veil between this and the afterlife, Timothy saw his risen King on Easter Day in 1997. And looking back beyond space and time, he experienced the power of the resurrection.

– Personal Response –

Passage: But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

Point: God’s resurrection power sustains us in suffering and proves Jesus is always worth it.

Ponder: When pain and loss strike, do you believe Jesus is still enough?

Prayer: Lord, give me faith to trust You in grief, courage to follow You in weakness, and hope that clings to Your resurrection promise. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Proclamation: Even in sorrow, I will proclaim that Jesus is worth it. I choose to trust wholeheartedly in God’s goodness and sovereignty.

Practice: Reach out to a believer walking through hardship this week. Pray with them and remind them of God’s sustaining grace.

Learn more about The Mind of a Missionary Devotional at themindofamissionary.com