On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, David Wilkerson died in a tragic car crash. This is a tribute to him. You can read more about the life of David Wilkerson and the details of the car crash by clicking here. May we all be such men of God.
NRJohnson’s Tribute to a New Legend of Yesteryear
David Wilkerson was a man of fiery passion who spoke truth boldly. He cared not what others thought; He lived solely for the King of Kings. He preached with unction, prayed with anguish, wrote with fervor, and lived a life that is, unfortunately, rather uncommon today.
My heart often longs for the “glory days” – those days when the lives of epic men of God once roamed this earth. Such men nowadays are rare and seemingly impossible to find. Sure, there are a few scattered about but they are often as difficult to spot as the Irish Elk of old. This past summer, Eric Ludy preached a sermon called Majesty Lost (click here to download and listen to it). Just as the legendary elk from Europe stood ten feet tall with a rack of antlers over twelve feet in breadth, a majestic creature lost to rumor and legend, so has the life of the heroic Godly man. Guys abound across the globe, but these men, these rare-majestic vessels for God’s glory, are rare indeed.
What ever happened to men with the strength, humility, boldness, intimacy, and passion of Hudson Taylor, Andrew Murray, CT Studd, John Knox, Leonard Ravenhill, Richard Wurmbrand, John Hyde, George Müller, Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Brainard, Tozer, Bounds, and Booth?
David Wilkerson was such a man – a heroic Godly man who unashamedly walked into darkness and allowed Jesus to use his life for King and Kingdom. From his early years ministering on the streets of New York City to his later years of writing and preaching around the world, Wilkerson’s life was lived for one single purpose: the glory and renown of God.
When I heard this hero of the faith died, my first thought was “there goes one of the last remaining Irish Elks.” Could it be that rather than tragedy, David’s death is a trumpet call to this generation to awaken from our sleep and allow Jesus to have full access in our lives to shape and mold us into similar Irish Elks? Jesus longs to fill and source our lives where it is no longer I who live but Christ. I must be dependent upon Jesus for every word, thought, and action produced in my life. Could it be Jesus longs to raise up men in this generation into a mighty force of Irish Elks? Would you be available for Jesus to do whatever He wants in and through you, to spill and spend your life however He chooses, even if you are never heard of or seen, if it is for the pleasure and purpose of the glory of God? I want to be such an individual! I want to be an Irish Elk in my generation.
Jesus, thank You for using David Wilkerson as a vessel for Your glory; pouring Yourself through him to impact and transform countless lives. Thank You for allowing us to see with clarity an Irish Elk walking in our midst these last 79 years. May the memory of his life press us all the deeper into You.
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