Day 16
The Mind of a Missionary Devotional
Calm Trust in God’s Providence
Maria Taylor
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13
A group of government officials plastered large posters around Yangzhou city, circulating rumors that the foreigners were stealing babies, killing them to make medicine, and eating their dead bodies. In response to the wild rumors, thousands of rioters stormed the China Inland Mission compound’s gates. A couple hundred bloodthirsty men riled the crowd to thousands in Yangzhou on August 16, 1868.
Bricks and stones smashed through the windows as the fire rose. The mob broke through the gates, stealing whatever they found and setting fire to the rest. Maria, pregnant with her sixth child, hid on the second floor of the building as rioters advanced.
The yelling rose to a crescendo of bloodlust and hatred, and the pregnant missionary was forced to jump from the second story, twelve to fifteen feet above the ground. Maria comforted her children and fellow missionaries as they narrowly escaped from their home. Faint from the loss of blood, she said, “I was anxious not to let anyone know how much I was hurt, as I felt it would alarm them, and it seemed most important that all should keep calm.”
A few evenings later, when asked what punishment the rioters should receive, Maria replied, “Punishment? I really have not considered the question, as it has nothing to do with me. The revenge I desire is the wider opening up of the country to our work [and] for the spread of our Master’s Kingdom.” This spirit of love, forgiveness, and calm trust in God’s providence marked her life.
Maria Taylor, the “Mother” of the China Inland Mission (CIM), was born on January 16, 1837, in Penang, Malaysia, where her missionary parents served. Both her father and mother died before Maria was ten, forcing her to press into God to find His unique path for her life. “I was left an orphan in a far-off land,” she later said. “God has been my Father all these years.”
At sixteen, Maria met Hudson Taylor while serving at a school for girls in Ningbo, Northeast China; they married five years later in 1858. Maria played a key role with her husband in the founding and growth of the CIM, which, by the time of Hudson’s death in 1905, had 825 missionaries living in all eighteen provinces of China, more than 300 stations of work, more than 500 local Chinese helpers, and 25,000 Christian converts.
The Taylor family faced extreme challenges in their pioneering efforts throughout the country, but Maria’s faith remained unwavering. One friend observed that “only Maria was unmoved, wondering ‘what we are all groping after.’” Her Christ-centered demeanor, friends said, “gave her that beautiful calmness and confidence in God.”
The heart-wrenching loss of her children punctuated Maria’s life in China. Grace, their firstborn, passed away in a temple near Hangzhou. This painful pattern continued as the Taylors buried five of their nine children on the mission field. Maria clung to the promise in Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” “Can Jesus meet my need? Yes, and more than meet it,” she said. “No matter how intricate my path, how difficult my service; no matter how sad my bereavement, how far away my loved ones; no matter how helpless I am, how deep are my soul-longings—Jesus can meet all, and more than meet.”
Her husband was awed by her fortitude in the profound losses. “I could not but admire and wonder at the grace that so sustained and comforted the fondest of mothers,” Hudson wrote. “The secret was that Jesus was satisfying the deep thirst of heart and soul.”
During her final days at age thirty-three, frail from the challenges of missionary life, Maria found herself on the brink of eternity. At daybreak on July 23, 1870, days after the burial of her son, Noel, Maria called Hudson to her side. Hudson, seeing the signs of her impending departure, gently asked, “My darling, do you know that you are dying?” “Dying? What makes you think so?” Maria responded with a mix of surprise and acceptance. “You are going home,” Hudson whispered, choking back his tears. “You will soon be with Jesus.” Maria’s sights, ever set toward Heaven, responded consolingly: “I cannot be sorry to go to Him, but it does grieve me to leave you alone at such a time. Yet, He will be with you and meet all your needs.”
As the sun rose over the city, casting its golden hue on the Chinese streets, Maria Taylor drifted into eternal rest. But her legacy lived on. The sacrifices she made, the love she shared, and the faith she exhibited inspired generations of missionaries. Through her support and partnership with Hudson, the “Mother of the Mission” helped spread her Master’s Kingdom to millions of souls in China.
– Personal Response –
Passage: And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Point: Love anchored in Christ gives peace and purpose even in the fire of adversity.
Ponder: When you are mistreated, face injustice, or feel afraid, do you react in panic or reflect God’s calm, forgiving love?
Prayer: Lord, help me respond to hardship with quiet trust and to injustice with unwavering love. May I reflect Calvary’s grace in whatever I encounter. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Proclamation: I will not let fear or pain steal my peace. Instead, I will trust God’s providence and love boldly, regardless of the circumstances.
Practice: This week, choose to forgive someone who has wronged you, and pray for their blessing instead of justice.
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