The Missionary Mindset series looks into the lives of notable missionaries to provide valuable insights and inspiration. Read the last post in the Missionary Mindset series here.
David Livingstone was a pioneering explorer, skilled medic, passionate slave trade fighter, and faithful missionary in Africa during the 19th Century. He was fervent in declaring the gospel in Africa to his death, and his legacy lives on … inspiring today’s missionaries to declare Christ in places untouched and resistant to the gospel.
David’s Background
As one of seven children born into a Christian home in Scotland, David was exposed to books on theology, travel, and missions at an early age. His father believed science undermined the Christian faith, and David was determined to reconcile science and religion.
He pursued knowledge in both subjects by attending Anderson’s College (now University of Strathclyde) to learn more about science and lectures at the University of Glasgow to engage in theological discussions.
At the culmination of his schooling, David joined the London Missionary Society (LMS) for training in missions. In 1841, LMS sent him to Southern Africa. Upon arrival, David trekked 600 miles to Kuruman, anxious to share the love of Christ in an area darkened by slave trade.
This initial trek jump-started a lifetime of foot travels across Africa to heal the sick and free the captives through the ultimate Healer and Freedom Fighter. Divinely convicted that the gospel would not pervade the African continent until geographic exploration ended, David left Kuruman after 10 years of ministry to explore and map Africa’s interior.
His life’s desire was to pave a path for future missionaries to share the Good News among Africa’s many people groups. In total, David’s 32-year missionary journey included walking 29,000 miles across the African interior to engage people with the gospel and map the continent.
David’s work was dangerous and many times his loved ones pleaded him to move with caution. In a letter responding to his brother’s plea, David wrote, "I am a missionary, heart and soul. God had an only Son, and He was a missionary and physician. I am a poor, poor imitation of Him, or wish to be. In this service I hope to live; in it I wish to die.”
On May 1, 1873 he got his wish. David Livingstone died in a posture of prayer in Chitambo’s village, Ulala.
David’s Legacy
At one point, David was asked why he became a missionary to Africa. His response was simple and supported by God’s Word … “I was compelled by the love of Christ."
His devotion to Christ’s commission did not always end desirably. A few of his obstacles include:
- Witnessing few trust in Christ after 10 years of ministry in Kuruman
- Enduring a lifetime of arm pain and paralysis after a lion attack
- Losing his wife and companions while journeying upstream to establish a mission north of Victoria Falls
- Witnessing Arab slave traders murder over 300 Africans
These setbacks did not deter David from his mission. Although he’s often remembered as a prolific writer, name-giver of Victoria Falls, and the first European to cross Africa from West to East, David’s most enduring work lies in reaching the unreached with God’s story of redeeming love.
An excerpt from the British Medical Journal states that David "opened up the Dark Continent to the light of medicine, of civilization, and of Christianity."
Indeed, David Livingstone did just that. Two centuries since his birth, his legacy has inspired and influenced thousands of believers to reckless abandonment to the Great Commission and the fight against human slavery along the path he paved.
More Inspiration from David
David understood the Kingdom value of missions and the need for God’s presence in places tormented by spiritual darkness. Here are some of our favorite quotes:
- “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.”
- “If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?”
- “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather is it is a privilege.”
- “God, send me anywhere, only go with me.”
- “Without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere!”