Hudson Taylor was born almost 200 years ago in Britain. He had a Christian mother and father, but when he got a little older, he decided he did not want to be a Christian. That is until he turned 15 years old. He found a Christian missionary tract and after reading it he decided to come back to being a Christian.
When he was 17 years old he decided he wanted to be a missionary to China. First, though, he had to attend university. He studied medicine because working as a missionary in China he would need medical training. It was in the year 1852 that he began studying in London. He also dedicated himself to learn the Chinese language called Mandarin. Of course he also spent a lot of time praying and studying his Bible.
Before starting university, he had moved to a poor neighbourhood so that he could be a medical assistant with Robert Hardey while he studied. He could not afford to live in a rich area. It was there that he began preparing himself for a life of faith and service, devoting himself to helping the poor people and exercising faith that God would provide for his needs. He gave out many missionary flyers and preached and visited the poor people in his spare time.
During that time, he had little money, but he trusted God to provide for him. There are many books that you can find about the story of the life of Hudson Taylor and his missionary work in China. He spent 51 years in that country.
The following story is just two experiences Hudson Taylor made showing the challenges he faced as a medical student and how his faith in God was tested and strengthened.
It was midnight and Hudson Taylor was just about to retire for bed. His little room that he rents is in an old house right by the canal. The people throw all of their garbage into this canal so it smells terrible at times. Suddenly someone hammered on his room door. “Please come quickly, my wife is dying. Pray for my wife with us.”
Hudson jumped up and grabbed his coat and hat and set off with the stranger. The passageways they walked through were narrow and dark. Gloomy scowling people crossed their path now and then. As they walked he looked at the stranger from the side studying him. “Is it really true what he told me? Or does he want to rob me?” he wondered. Meanwhile in his pocket he folded his fingers around a silver coin—it was really his last coin.
“Why didn’t you go to the priest?” asked Hudson.
“He would have asked us for money and I don’t have any,” the man answered. “We haven’t had anything to eat for days. And we can’t afford a doctor either.”
“If I had two coins I could give them one,” thought Hudson despairingly “but if I hand over my last coin, the only money I have, then I will starve tomorrow. No one could expect that of me.” “God, what should I do? God, you can hear my prayer. Please help me,” he prayed in his heart. They soon reached their destination.
Hudson Taylor had not expected to see what he did. The man lived with his family in a room without furniture. There were windows without curtains, empty boxes in one corner and in the other corner lay a meagre, pale woman on a sack of straw with a newly born baby next to her. A little candle was lying on the ground which gave off some light. There were older children sitting in the shadows staring at Hudson with big, hungry eyes. Hudson thought about his coin again and turned it over again and again in his pocket. “If I only had two coins. . . . ” he thought. “Enough now!” he reminded himself. “It is my job to preach the gospel to these people.” He began slowly: “You do not need to despair. We have a God in heaven who cares for us and loves us if we believe in Him and place our trust in Him. . .”
Hudson barely managed to get those words out of his mouth when he felt the conviction from the Holy Spirit reprimanding him. “You talk about trust in God and you are holding on to the coin in your pocket with all of your trust.” He then remembered the word of Jesus: “Give to those who ask it of you.” “Give it!” His conscience spoke louder to Him.
Hudson Taylor slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed over his last coin to the family. Then he suddenly felt free inside, and was able to give the dying woman the best message possible: “Jesus loves you, believe in Him and confess your sins to Him. Then He will forgive you your sins. You will be saved by Him and live with Him in heaven forever.”
Hours later Hudson arrived back home. He now had nothing. No money and only enough food for one meal. In his Bible he read, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” Proverbs 19:17. Now he understood. The money which he had given to the poor family the day before was actually lent to God. Somehow it will be returned to him one day.
The next morning he sat at the table and ate his last bowl of porridge. He does not know what he will eat the next day, but he is not worried. He trusted the Lord to provide. After he finished eating, he heard a knock on the door. It was his landlady and she had a package for him that had been delivered by the mailman. “Who would send me a package?” he wondered. As Hudson opened the package he found a pair of gloves wrapped in silk paper. “Strange,” he mumbled and carefully studied the interesting present.
Suddenly something fell to the ground. Hudson picked it up. It was a gold coin! There was no letter in the parcel and no sender on it. Hudson Taylor never found out who sent him this parcel with money. However he learned a great lesson from this experience. He learned the principle of God’s “bank”. He had loaned a silver coin to God and God had given him a gold coin in return. While studying, he could only save a little money so his daily rations were scant: black bread, apples and water.
That evening, Hudson Taylor put together his much-needed notebook so he could take notes while studying. The notebook was put together by cutting paper to the right size and then sewing the pages together. Hudson managed to prick his right hand with a needle while sewing.
The following day, at the university, Hudson took part in an autopsy on a man who died from a terrible fever. Everyone worked with great care. A few hours later his right arm became swollen and he could not move it because of the pain. Did he catch something from the work at the university that day?
Hudson immediately went to the doctor and the diagnosis was dreadful. He had been infected by a deadly fever through the tiny little wound from the sewing needle on a finger on his right hand. “Go home as quickly as possible to make arrangements. You do not have long to live. Hurry!” is the only advice the doctor gave him.
“I will be healthy again,” Hudson told the doctor, “God has given me this task of going as a missionary to China. I have already made that arrangement with God for my whole life.” Hudson then returned home and fell to the ground unconscious.
It was his uncle who lived nearby who found him half dead in his room. He helped him and called the doctor to make an urgent house-call. However, the diagnosis was devastating. The doctor again repeated that Hudson had an illness which will lead to certain death. Only a miracle would help now. Hudson lay in his bed for days suffering from the fever before a miracle happened. The fever suddenly went away and in a couple of weeks he could stand up for a couple of hours. It is now that he discovered that two other medical students he was working with had also been infected but they had both died. “Why did I survive?” he wondered. It became clear to him once again. A big job working as a missionary was waiting in China for him.
When the doctor saw Hudson Taylor’s happy face he was deeply moved and said, “I would give everything to have faith like you have. Such trust in a God which we cannot see and cannot hear—I have never seen anything like it.”
“You can also have the faith. Everyone is allowed to believe in God. Everyone—no exceptions,” answered Hudson calmly. The doctor, who had previously despised religion now was open to hear the word of God and Hudson Taylor preached a mighty sermon to this man.
I do not know what plan God has for your life, but He does have a plan for you. Every person has been called by God to do a special work for Him. Although Satan may try to stop the work, if God calls you, He will make sure the work will get done if you are willing. Satan cannot stop the work of God. Just pray and ask Him to guide you, and even if you face troubles while serving the Lord, do not give up.
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15