Streams in the Desert

 

In 1901 Charles Cowman and his wife Lettie moved to Japan as missionaries. One evening they climbed up a mountain near a large Japanese city. They sat quietly on a bench. In every direction, they could see villages and towns. In their hearts, they knew that there was no Christian witness in any of these. Then suddenly it seemed to Charles that Christ himself was standing beside him. He heard him say, “I gave my life for these villages, too. Won’t you go and tell them for me that I want to be their Savior?” Charles immediately answered, “Yes, Lord. I will go.”

From that time Charles’ vision was to see the Gospel shared with every person in Japan. In 1912 he proposed sending trained evangelists to visit every household and leave information about Christianity. This became known as The Great Village Campaign. Japanese evangelists who had graduated from Tokyo’s Bible Training Institute walked through the provinces, bags on their shoulders stuffed with tracts. They carried two Japanese language tracts, both printed on the OMS Tokyo printing press.

The tracts were a 32-page “The Gift of God,” written by Charles and a shorter tract, “The God You Should Worship” written by Kilbourne. The Great Village Campaign would have been impossible without the dedicated Japanese missionaries. They trekked between fifteen and twenty-five miles a day. They often went to extremes to ensure they canvassed every house. They trekked across mountains, through fast-flowing streams, down valleys and along narrow paths, sometimes in frigid temperatures.

Toward the end of 1914, the hard work began to take a toll on Cowman’s health. He and Lettie returned to America for a short time in 1915 to rest and regain his health. The Village Campaign continued to progress while they were in the States, but soon enough, they returned to Japan to complete the work they had begun. 1917 posed to be the most intensive year of the campaign. In the spring, they went to the large island of Kyushu to establish temporary headquarters.

Once again Charles began to have many heart problems, leading Lettie and him to leave Japan.  Numerous heart attacks forced him to rest at his home in California. For the next six years, he suffered in great pain, yet he always kept a positive attitude while continuing his work for the Lord. In January 1918, while in America, they received news that the Japan Village Campaign was complete. The Oriental Missionary Standard’s front page blazed the announcement: “Hallelujah! The Japan Village Campaign is finished!” About 60 million Japanese were equipped with the Gospel, covering 420,000 km².

Although broken in body, Charles kept an oversight of the home office and of work on the field, dictating letters by the hundreds. He also began to make plans to go into China, so that another Bible training institute could be established. In March 1924, Cowman faithfully signed the bank books of OMS over to two trustees: Ernest Kilbourne and W.J Clark, a Los Angeles businessman. On the night of July 17, 1924, Cowman experienced a stroke that paralyzed his entire left side.

The doctors said he would only live a few more hours, but he lived a number of weeks more. He passed just after midnight on September 25, 1924. Two days after his funeral, a letter came to him stating that a fellow worker was giving $25,000 to open a Bible Training Institute in China. One year later, in September 1925, the Bible Training Institute was up and running in Shanghai. It was fittingly named, “The Cowman Memorial Bible Training Institute.”

When Charles grew very sick and began to die slowly his wife Lettie did not despair. Instead during this time, she collected spiritual truths, poems and scripture from various sources (church bulletins, magazines) that spoke to her struggles, finding solace in God's promises. She compiled a year’s worth of readings, poems and Bible texts to encourage herself. She penned a few observations relating the theme of each day’s excerpt to her walk with God.

When her friends heard of the project, they requested copies, and so she printed a few in 1924. That was the end of that, she thought. Instead, demand grew and these compilations became the classic Christian devotional called “Streams in the Desert”. The book became a bestseller. By 2006, “Streams in the Desert” had sold six million copies and had been translated into at least fifteen languages, probably the most popular daily devotional ever written, comparable in sales to Oswald Chambers’s “My Utmost for His Highest”. 

The phrase "streams in the desert" which Lettie used as the title of her devotion, is a metaphor from Isaiah 43:19-20 and Psalm 126:4 . Isaiah 43:19-20 emphasizes God's ability to create new paths and sources of life in impossible situations. It says “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland... I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen”

Psalm 126:4 is a prayer asking God for restoration, comparing it to the life-giving transformation of dry desert stream beds in the Negev (South) when rain comes. It's a plea for God to renew their fortunes as miraculously as water transforms a barren land. It pictures a powerful return from captivity or hardship to abundance and joy. This leads into verses 5-6 which talk about sowing in tears, bringing a joyful harvest.

Lettie’s book presents God's promises as life-giving water (streams) in spiritual deserts (hardships). The book offers timeless encouragement and guidance for believers going through dry seasons in life. It encourages focusing on God's unchanging Word rather than difficult life conditions, as exemplified by stories and scripture. It connects earthly suffering with spiritual growth and God's purpose, revealing beauty and glory even in hardship.

The book remains popular for its timeless message of finding hope and God's presence amidst suffering. It has sold millions of copies, been translated into many languages, and continues to provide spiritual guidance.Because it stems from genuine hardship, its message resonates deeply and remains relevant, making it one of the most enduring daily devotionals ever written, according to the Christian History Institute.

The Oriental Missionary Society (OMS) founded in 1901 is called One Mission Society today (2025). One Mission Society is working with 300 full-time missionaries in 84 countries, in more than 50 languages. OMS works with more than 300 partner organizations in evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and leadership training/development. OMS current ministry strategy follows the innovative vision of the founders. It has reached more than 400 million people over the past six years.

Charles Cowman had a great faith that “the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes” (Rom.1:16). The wholesale and indiscriminate distribution of the Bible was not so much evangelism as seed sowing. He believed any results had to be left at God’s feet; Only God could determine success. There is a saying that “anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed”. Every time a seed is sown, the promise is that the harvest will be far more than what was sown. 

God chose Charles Cowman to be the man who would begin a work that would not only endure but grow. Over his desk in Tokyo he kept a placard saying “Let us build for the years we will not see”. Charles vision turned into reality. What he began is still going on to this day. Only God knows how many will make it to heaven because of his vision. When he died his wife Lettie wrote “Great heart is dead they say. The world has said Great heart is dead, but his going has left a bright light along the hard road”.

The portrait of such a remarkable man is an inspiration to us. In the Christian faith great doctrines are a powerful means of shaping lives. But even more powerful is a great doctrine lived out by a real person. Biblical doctrines are important but many of us have found again and again that the story of a person who lived and died by that doctrine makes the truth more powerful in our lives. Hebrews 13:7 says, "consider the outcome of his life and imitate his faith."

But why did God allow so much suffering into the life of his great servant Charles Cowman? Historically the wilderness is seen, as a season, a place of releasing and refinement. It is preparation ground for something great. It’s interesting to note that some of God’s greatest servants had to spend some time in the wilderness.  After conversion Saul went to the Arabian wilderness (Gal. 1:17). He also endured much suffering for the sake of the Gospel (2 Cor. 11:23-28).

Paul’s missionary work took the Gospel beyond the Jewish world, establishing churches throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. His influence was not only in evangelism but he also defined core Christian doctrines through his influential epistles shaping Christian theology, mission, and practice for centuries. The New Testament contains thirteen letters authored by Paul. Through these writings, believers across generations have been equipped with the foundational truths of the faith. Paul’s epistles remain relevant for believers today

Moses is one of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament of the Bible. His great ministry started when God appeared to him in a burning bush (Exod. 3:1-13). Acts 7:30 mentions that when this event occurred, Moses had been in the desert for 40 years. In the first 40 years of life he was trained in the best schools of Egypt” (Acts 7:21-22). The rest of the lessons were learnt in the wilderness. Moses spent 40 long years as a fugitive, tending sheep in the wilderness of Midian (Exod. 2:15-21; 3:1-10).

God knew that he needed those quiet years to prepare him to be an effective leader. And it was as a shepherd that he would receive His special calling and mission. Moses is best known for leading the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. The tasks required him to be intimately connected with God. That connection developed during the wilderness years. Moses is credited as the author of the first five books of the Bible. He also left us a legacy in the many lessons we can learn from his recorded experiences and relationship with God.

David spent his early years watching over his father’s flock in the wilderness (1 Sam. 17). He was anointed king at the tender age of 17. Little did David know, it would be many long years before he became king and the time in between was going to be very tough. David’s time as a shepherd taught him how to fight beasts to prepare him for his epic battle with Goliath. His shepherd experiences built confidence in God's power, which prepared him for overcoming fear in adversity.

Later he spent about 13 years as a fugitive of Saul. His challenges seemed endless, tragic and scary for those thirteen years. But, those hard times were exactly what made David so great during his forty year reign. That is how God trained him to be such an extraordinary king. It was during those years that David learned how to handle a crisis and to walk humbly with his God. In the wilderness he learnt to depend solely on God for survival, leading to an intense prayer life and a strong bond with his God.

David is remembered as the best king Israel ever had. The nation of Israel bears the Star of David on its flag. David the “sweet psalmist of Israel" (2 Sam.23:1 NASB) composed poems, prayers and songs to his God. The Book of Psalms in the Bible is ancient Israel's hymnbook; a collection of 150 sacred poems, songs, and prayers used for worship. David is specifically credited as the author of 73 of those Psalms in their titles.

Charles Cowman died in September 25,1924.  His wife Lettie died on April 17, 1960. Juji Nakada died on September 24,1939.  Ernest A. Kilbourne died on April 13, 1928.  They are now among the multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth. Someday they will awake to everlasting life because their names are written in the book of life. They will shine like the stars forever and ever, because they led many to righteousness” (Dan.12:1-3).No doubt the all inclusive Hebrews ’s 11 list of the hero’s of faith includes these great men of God who have now laid their armors down.