Claimed for God

A young medical student studied at the London Hospital. Robert Morrison and William Milne had gained a foothold in China for missionary work. Should he go and join them? He wrote in his journal "I knew God was speaking. I knew evangelists would be given and their support secured, but there unbelief came in. Suppose the workers are given and go to China: trials will come; their faith may fail; would they not reproach you for bringing them into such a plight?"

"I did not see that the Power that would give the men and the means would be sufficient to keep them also, even in the interior of China.

"A million a month were dying in China without God. This was burned into my very soul."

Sunday, June 25th, 1865, he left the church meeting and went to a near by beach and walked most of the afternoon. Then he went back to his room that night and wrote these words:

"I was unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security while millions were perishing for the lack of knowledge. I wondered out on the sands alone and in great spiritual agony there the Lord finally conquered my unbelief. I surrendered myself to God for His service. I told Him that all the responsibilities as to the issues as to the consequences must rest with Him. That as His servant it was mine to obey and to follow Him. It was His to direct, to care for, to guide me, in all those who would labor with me. Needless to say, peace then flooded my soul. "

He then prayed that God would give him 24 people to join him. Two for each of the eleven provinces of China that had no Gospel witness and two extras for Mongolia.

The young medical doctor was J. Hudson Taylor. From that church meeting J. Hudson Taylor claimed China for God.

J Hudson Taylor became the most widely used missionary in China's history. During his 51 years of service there, his China Inland Mission established 20 mission stations, brought 849 missionaries to the field (968 by 1911), trained some 700 Chinese workers, raised four million dollars by faith, and developed a witnessing Chinese church of 125,000. It has been said at least 35,000 were his own converts and that he baptized some 50,000.

All this because he surrendered his will to God, to follow Him in obedience, to be used by Him.