Day 22
The Mind of a Missionary Devotional
From Governed to Governor
Lott Cary
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” — James 1:2-4
Lott Cary was a foul-mouthed, ill-tempered alcoholic who worked at a tobacco warehouse in Richmond, Virginia. But everything changed one Sunday morning in 1807 when a message from John 3:16 brought him to tears. Struck by Jesus’ words about being born again, Cary taught himself to read and write by studying the third chapter of John.
His dramatic spiritual transformation changed his work ethic, and Cary was promoted to warehouse supervisor. By 1813, the enslaved man of God had saved enough money to purchase his family’s freedom for $850 (roughly $20,000 in today’s currency).
God seeded his heart with a missional passion, propelling him into Christian ministry. Cary quickly rose to prominence as a pastor in the 1,200-member African Baptist Church. He was not a polished preacher, but “his ideas would sometimes burst upon you . . . and awaken deeper feelings than the most polished but less original” pastors.
Rumors of Africa’s spiritual needs circulated throughout the congregation at that time, and Cary played a crucial role in establishing the Richmond African Baptist Missionary Society in 1815. “In this country, however meritorious my conduct and respectable my character, I cannot receive the credit due to either,” he declared. “I wish to go to a country where I shall be estimated by my merits, not by my complexion, and I feel bound to labor for my suffering race.” Amid the United States’ racially volatile social climate, God was working behind the scenes to urge the African American community toward missionary activity.
However, an insidious scheme grew alongside genuine missionary sentiments. The American Colonization Society (ACS), led by George Washington’s nephew, was formed in 1816. The ACS was backed by an odd alliance of well-meaning abolitionists on the one hand and sinister slaveholders on the other. The abolitionists sought to free enslaved blacks, allowing them the chance to escape discrimination by moving to Africa. Slaveholders intended to expel free blacks from the United States because they posed a threat to the stability of their slave societies.
Nonetheless, when Cary read the ACS’s “Letters From Africa to Persons of Color in the United States” in 1819, he resolved to go as a missionary by whatever means possible.
His farewell message moved the church to tears. “I am about to leave you and expect to see your faces no more,” he announced. “I long to preach to the poor Africans the way of life and salvation. I don’t know what may befall me, whether I may find a grave in the ocean, among the savage men, or more savage wild beasts on the coast of Africa; nor am I anxious what may become of me. I feel it my duty to go.”
Lott Cary renounced economic comforts when he sailed to Sierra Leone on January 23, 1821, becoming the first black American missionary to Africa. He was immediately confronted with financial difficulties when he discovered the ACS had neglected to purchase land for new settlers. Without foreign support, Cary worked as a farm laborer until his wife died shortly after, leaving him to care for his two children alone. Despite the appalling circumstances, he rejoiced that they were “in the country of their forefathers” and prayed God would reward his missionary efforts.
A full year later, on February 7, 1822, the Carys settled in Monrovia, Liberia. He immediately began spreading the Gospel, intending to impact the unreached Bassa, Vey, and Kroo tribes. He had arrived as a missionary but was also a member of a fledgling US colony, and the demands of his unique situation required him to assume the role of Health Officer for the colony on August 31. His mounting responsibilities almost “reduced him to the verge of the grave.” However, six people were baptized a year later, followed by nine in 1824. By 1825, Cary established the first Baptist church in Monrovia, with 70 members and a location amid what was considered a cursed forest consecrated to demon worship.
Cary envisioned Liberia as a staging point for spreading the Gospel throughout the continent. His selfless and tireless efforts won the locals’ hearts, and “nearly the whole adult population [came] under the influence of Christianity.”
In August 1828, he was appointed Governor of the US colony of Liberia. Three months later, on November 10, he was killed in an accidental blast while preparing to defend the colony against an enemy attack.
From sinner to saint, from enslaved to freedman, Lott Cary’s story may have gone unnoticed, but from America to Africa, from governed to Governor, from missionary to martyr, is the picture of God’s call on his life.
– Personal Response –
Passage: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
Point: God transforms trials into testimonies and turns the lowly into leaders when they live by faith.
Ponder: Do you see your hardships as obstacles or as opportunities for God to grow something eternal in you?
Prayer: Lord, use every trial to shape me for Your purpose. Help me persevere with joy, and trust You in every season. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Proclamation: I will not be defined by where I started, but by where God is calling me. I will persevere and rise for His glory against all odds.
Practice: Identify one struggle in your life today and write down how God might be using it to prepare you for something greater. Then take one step of obedience, despite the obstacles.
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