Day 24
The Mind of a Missionary Devotional
All for Love
David Eubank
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
The sun blazed down on the streets of Mosul, its heat intensifying the stench of death that permeated the air. David Eubank spotted a horrific scene amid the broken-down, bombed-out buildings. Around seventy lifeless bodies, victims of the relentless conflict, were strewn across the pavement. As he surveyed the situation, a flicker of life caught his eye. A little girl with pink pigtails, no older than five, peeked out from beneath a black burka. She had been hiding under her dead mother’s garment for two harrowing days.
David knew ISIS snipers likely had him in their sights, but these were the moments that mattered—when a single act might save one small life. Bullets flew through the air as he whispered a prayer, “Jesus, help me,” and ran into enemy fire to rescue the child. With the cover provided by Allied Forces and the support of Iraqi soldiers, David reached the girl, scooped her into his arms, and bolted back to safety behind an armored vehicle. His act of sheer bravery on June 2, 2017 shocked the watching world.
Major news outlets like The Washington Post, CBN News, and ABC Australia covered the story. When reporters asked David why he risked his life, he quoted the words of Jesus: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Flooded with emotion, tears brimmed in Eubank’s eyes. “I did it for love,” he said. The heroic event was not just a rescue mission but a testament to his passion for Jesus and compassion for those suffering injustice in conflict zones.
But David’s impact extended far beyond this singular act. His stories, filled with terms like “AK-47s,” “RPGs,” and “enemy fire,” painted a vivid picture of the challenges he faced daily. In the many moments of danger during missions to vulnerable people in Syria, Iraq, Sudan, or Myanmar, a recurring theme emerged: agape love. “I didn’t choose these battles,” Eubank admitted humbly. “God opened the doors, and I simply walked through them.” He understood what it meant to love not merely with words or speech but with actions and truth (1 John 3:18).
David grew up in Thailand, often crossing the border into the jungles of Myanmar (formerly Burma) with his missionary parents. He returned to America at eighteen, enlisted in the U.S. armed forces, commanded units in the Infantry, Rangers, and Special Forces, and ran missions in Central and South America. In 1992, after nearly ten years in the military, David left the Army and enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary. There, he met his wife-to-be, Karen, whom he married the following year.
In 1996, after learning about the plight of ethnic people suffering under the brutal Myanmar Military, David and Karen returned to Thailand. They crossed the border into Myanmar, providing medical aid to the tribes targeted in the genocide.
The Eubanks’ service led to an unprecedented meeting with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. “We need unity,” she told David. “Please pray for us.” Impressed by the spirited Buddhist woman, Eubank gave Suu Kyi his Special Forces crest with its inscription, De Oppresso Liber, meaning “To Free the Oppressed.” When Eubank gave Suu Kyi his Bible, she quoted her favorite verse: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Stirred by the providential meeting, Eubank initiated the Global Day of Prayer for Burma in 1996. The following year, he formed the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian service movement that conducts relief, advocacy, leadership development, and unity missions among the people of Burma. The Free Burma Rangers have trained 300 ethnic relief teams, conducted over 1,000 relief missions, treated over 550,000 patients, and helped more than 1,200,000 people. “I want to be where I’m most needed,” Eubank said, “and I feel that’s where people are being attacked or where they’re in trouble.”
David Eubank and the Free Burma Rangers impacted thousands, but one little girl will never forget his daring sacrifice and loving embrace. Demoa, the five-year-old girl with pink pigtails, was reunited with her grandmother in November 2017, five months after the rescue mission in Mosul.
Her name translated as “Tears” in English, symbolizing thousands of victims who had endured the horrors of ISIS reign. However, the Eubanks believed Jesus’ hope could transform a nation. They returned to Iraq to visit the little girl, amazed that her story had a happy ending. David hugged Demoa with fatherly compassion and whispered the words Father God says to His creation every day. “Little one,” he explained, “it was all for love.” As the sun shone down on Mosul’s streets, the fragrance of Gospel love permeated the air, proclaiming the John 3:16 miracle to a little Iraqi girl.
– Personal Response –
Passage: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
Point: Real love takes risks, denies self, and acts courageously to rescue others.
Ponder: Who is God calling you to love more sacrificially today, even if it’s uncomfortable or dangerous?
Prayer: Lord, help me love others the way You love me—with boldness, compassion, and action. May my life resonate with Your glorious grace shown through the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Proclamation: I will not love in word only, but in deed and in truth. I will shine Gospel hope wherever I go and in whatever I do.
Practice: Identify someone in crisis or need today. Pray for them, and take one courageous step to show them tangible love.
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