Women On The Frontlines: A Call To CourageНамуна

Harriet Tubman: Go Down, Moses

Harriet Tubman’s commitment to freedom was forged by two major influences in her life. The first of these was slavery itself. As a young child of six years, Harriet had been hired out by her owner to work for a succession of different people, many of whom abused her terribly. As Harriet grew older, the conviction grew in her heart that everyone deserved to be free. Freedom was worth any price.

The second influence in the development of Harriet’s character was her faith. Along with many other slaves, Harriet and her family found strength and comfort in the community they shared together. The slaves found hope and encouragement in the experiences of biblical characters such as Job, Joseph, Noah, Paul, Abraham, and Moses. Jesus was especially dear to them because he had suffered the way they suffered.

By the time Harriet reached adulthood, her hatred of slavery had made her determined to be free at any cost, while her faith in God had instilled in her a confidence in her success and a fearlessness regarding her own personal safety. Those who saw Harriet in action during her years of personally leading slaves to freedom were impressed by the fact that she displayed absolutely no fear for herself while taking every care to protect the runaways she was responsible for. She believed implicitly that God was directing her steps and protecting her, and that she would be taken only when and if God willed it.

Harriet made a total of nineteen trips into Maryland in the decade before the Civil War. She is credited with personally leading more than three hundred slaves to freedom, including, as she had promised, her parents and all her brothers and sisters and their families.

What is even more remarkable is that she never lost a single one. Every slave who followed Harriet was delivered safely to freedom in the North. Harriet was bold, fearless, creative, cunning, and, when necessary, severe.

Harriet Tubman’s life is a testimony to what a person can do when he or she learns to listen to God’s voice and obey without question. Because she trusted not in herself but in Him, she found his courage, strength, wisdom, insight, and protection available to her. Those same resources are ours as well if we will trust God and not depend on ourselves.