Faithful Under Pressure

           

J. Hudson Taylor labored under intense pressure, ill health, and deep grief as he followed God’s call to China. It is reported that over the course of his ministry he buried two wives and no less than four children. At one point, his faith was so low, he even considered taking his own life. In fact, he spent nearly all his life in depression over the fact that though thousands were converted to Christ, millions were yet unsaved. Yet, J. Hudson Taylor stayed faithful under tremendous pressure to give up. What was his secret? His convictions were recorded by his son and daughter in law in “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret.”

“It is very simple, but has He not planted us by the river of living water that we may be, for His delight, fair and fruitful to His people?”

The allusion he pictures, of course, is drawn from Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:7-8.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The authors penned of Taylor’s life, “To him, the secret of overcoming lay in daily, hourly fellowship with God; and this, he found, could only be maintained by secret prayer and feeding upon the Word through which He reveals Himself to the waiting soul.”

Because of the nature of Taylor’s life, he maintained a prayer time of 2am until 4am, as it was the only time he knew he could pray uninterrupted.

What was the fruit of such an intentional, faithful time with His Savior? By 1900, seven hundred fifty missionaries were laboring with the China Inland Mission organization that he founded. At the time his biography was published in 1932, there were over twelve hundred, with more than one hundred thousand conversions recorded. The mission eventually changed its name to the Overseas Missionary Fellowship to expand its reach to the entirety of East Asia, while also reconciling the realities of mission work under Communist China.

There will be thousands upon thousands of souls we will meet in heaven who are there because Hudson Taylor stayed faithful under tremendous pressure.

You may be facing tremendous challenges and pressures in this New Year that you have not faced before. Your resolutions, if you made them, may already be dangling by the proverbial thread. Or perhaps your faith is what is dangling precariously.

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

As I read Paul’s charge in his second letter to Timothy, I considered where Paul was at the writing. He awaited death under Nero’s hand in a Roman prison. If anyone knew what it was to stay faithful under pressure, it was Paul. What was the secret of Paul’s faithfulness? Verses 8-10 reveal the answer. Remember Jesus… Remember how He overcame death with victory. And then, remember the unbound power of the Gospel.

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This week I listened to an audio book called, “Sticky Faith.” It said the only way to pass faith down to your children is to teach them to trust Jesus for themselves—like you do. You absolutely cannot pass on a faith that you do not practice yourself. Your faith under pressure is what teaches the next generation.

Paul’s faith under pressure challenged Timothy to carry on faithfully. Any Gentile saved today is the fruit of Paul’s faithfulness. Who will be in heaven someday because you just kept doing the right thing whether it looked like it was working or not?

Did you miss a day of Bible reading? Why not pick it up right now? Do you feel like that Sunday School class is not listening to a word you are saying? You might be surprised some day! Your labor is never in vain when you serve a God who rules over generations. Just keep showing up. God’s in charge of the results. You are in charge of the faithfulness.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings. Prov. 28:20

Have a blessed week, my friends!

Erica B.