Learning From Fellow Saints

In the past couple of weeks I have found great encouragement and strength in learning from men and women of faith that have persevered through various trials and adversity and have come out on the other side.  Some of them are still living while others have gone on to be with the Lord.

One of those saints is Hudson Taylor, the man most known for founding the China Inland Mission.  Growing up in the church, this is a man whose name I have heard many times, but had never before taken the time to be challenged and blessed by the documented way in which he lived his life.  Recently having read Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, I was amazed at the devotion that marked his entire life.  While each season was filled with different circumstances, he knew through all of them with great clarity the mission that God had called him to.  And he was committed to it up to the very last day of his life.

But one of the biggest encouragements was in discovering that while he was used by God to do great and mighty things; he was just a man and, like us, had many inner struggles that he was continually being brought through.  While never actually meeting him, I felt connected to portions of his journey.

Hudson Taylor’s conversion took place in 1849, while he was just 17 years old.  From that point, he sought to grow in his faith more and more.  This involved medical school, missions work in China, and marriage.  However, even with all that, by his own admission, he was never fully surrendered to the call that God had placed on his life.  That happened on a beach in Brighton in 1865, 16 years after he first decided to follow Jesus.  He described this experience as,

“In great spiritual agony, I wandered out on the sands alone.  And there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for his service.”

– Hudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret

There are a few things that stand out in his account.

First, in great spiritual agony.  It is a misnomer to believe that conversion is equal to ease and comfort.  While there is great joy in knowing that our sins are atoned for, the desires of our flesh do not die easily.  The warring that takes place as a result is what causes spiritual agony.

The second thing to note is that he was alone when it happened.  The spiritual battle that goes on within us is often hidden from the view of other people.  You can seem ‘fine’ on the outside, but be experiencing great spiritual turmoil on the inside.  No one else can walk the path for us.  God calls each and every one of us individually to be fully devoted followers of Him.

Thirdly, it was the Lord who conquered his unbelief.  It wasn’t spending enough time in church or reading the scriptures.  It wasn’t the number of trips made to China or the number of people he had helped, led to Jesus or even baptized.  It was a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that ultimately conquered his unbelief.

It was this that led him to a place of surrendering himself to God for his service.  This is no small thing.  As you read about his life, it included suffering in many ways from losing children, his wife, and being bedridden with severe sickness just to name a few.  But as a result, he experienced a rich, deep fellowship and communion with God.  Which, despite any other accomplishment, was what he most desired.

That is a goal as believers, we all strive for, but how do we get there?

There were many passages of scripture that were brought to mind in new and fresh ways during his lifetime, but one of the instrumental ones was in John chapter 7 when Jesus said,

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

– John 4:14, KJV

As he felt that God had given him this verse for a season consisting of sleeplessness, painful depression of spirit and difficulty in breathing, he gained a deeper appreciation and understanding.  In explaining this, he expounded on the present tense of the Greek verb in the following way:

“It is not ‘Whosoever has drunk,’ but ‘Whosoever drinketh.’  It is not of one isolated draught He speaks, or even many, but of the continuous habit of the soul.

– Hudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret

Continuous habit of the soul.

Coming to Jesus day after day after day with all that we thirst for.  That is what leads us through times of spiritual agony.  That is what prepares us to be out on the sand alone, where He alone can conquer our unbelief and invite us to surrender our life fully for His service.

Followers of Jesus like Hudson Taylor don’t grow overnight.  In the same way that a seed doesn’t grow into a towering tree in a day.  It is by the continuous habit of the soul; of just continuously being with Jesus that leads to a life that is firmly planted and not easily shaken by the storms of life.  Now more than ever, this is what we need.

As we navigate our current time, let us take time to learn from the lives of those who have faithfully walked the road before us.


2 Comments

  • Really enjoyed this. I think God has us planted in the dark soil of lonely at times so that the only way to grow is to teach for His light.
    This present time is a time of growth …. or a time to shrivel away….
    that’s where we have the gift of choice😎

  • Thank you for spending the time to put these blogs together. They’re thought provoking and encouraging I really appreciate them.

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