Praying in FaithSample

Be Persistent

As Hudson Taylor was completing his medical training in preparation for his mission work in China, he was doing an autopsy on a man who had died of malignant fever. Taylor had forgotten that he pricked his finger the night before, and even though he was very careful not to cut himself during the surgery, he began to feel sick, weak, and faint. His symptoms worsened throughout the morning, and, eventually, a surgeon told him that his finger prick from the night before must have allowed the infection to enter his system. The surgeon told him to get home as soon as possible and arrange his affairs because, he said, “You’re a dead man.” 

Taylor was sure God had called him to China, and he told the surgeon of this conviction. Even so, Taylor barely managed to make it home and soon after fainted from pain. Over the next few weeks, he gradually gained strength. A doctor told him that the austere diet he had long imposed on himself had conditioned him to withstand this attack on his body, however, his uncle helped him eat and drink heartier food during his recovery. Taylor was weak for some time but healthier than anyone expected him to be after his infection. And he eventually sailed to China, just as God had said.

Nothing in Scripture assured Taylor he would make it to China, but his sense of calling and many confirmations through prayer were enough to convince him. Hudson Taylor is an example of staking one’s life on a word from God, even when that word looks impossible. Experts and friends gave him little chance of fulfilling his goals as a missionary, yet God’s voice was the only one that mattered to him. He knew God could do whatever he promised.

When God gives you that kind of conviction, refuse to let it go. You are under no obligation to heed the voices of human beings, who, even in their areas of expertise, are still quite fallible. Their voices may speak loudly, but God’s voice is resolute. Learn to trust his leading, ask him for confirmation if needed, and then cling to his promises with tenacity. Whatever he has promised you, he is fully able and willing to do it.