The five missionary men lay dead, long wood spears protruding from their bodies. Moments before, the young American missionaries had eagerly greeted the six Huao men who had emerged from the jungle, eager to culminate years of work and preparation. Something had gone terribly wrong, though. Instead of receiving a warm reception, the only people in the world who were committed to reaching the Huao now lay dead. Why hadn’t God intervened? Why hadn’t He worked a miracle and protected them? God protects missionaries who serve Him, doesn’t He?

Mission books are filled with miracle stories. I have told many of them myself. Stories of healings, of protection, even of children raised from the dead. But have I actually done a disservice to God’s people in only telling these stories? Have I actually misled them?

As the story of Job illustrates, God does not always intervene, and we don’t always understand why. Sometimes God simply needs evidence of our allegiance. Other times the tragedy itself is the crucible out of which God’s kingdom is born.

Less than three years after the massacre, the sister of one of the men who had died and the widow of another returned to the Huao. Never before had the Huao seen a man die with peace and love for his murderer, and they eagerly accepted the women, longing to understand. Today, all six of the men who killed those missionaries, along with thousands of other Huao, are Christians.

Rather than frightening away prospective missionaries, the deaths of these men inspired thousands to go out. Today, millions have been saved because, on that dark afternoon on an Ecuadorian sand bar, God didn’t reach down and perform a miracle.

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