"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" – Matthew 14:30
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) took a courageous step of faith when he set out to share the gospel with the peoples of inland China. He made a daring decision to do what few other missionaries and mission boards were doing at the time–to embrace the culture, language, customs, and normal dress of the people he was serving, operating ecumenically within the Protestant tradition, and cheerfully working alongside people from all classes, genders, and ethnicities. In the face of numerous difficulties, including the death of multiple children, violent persecution, and even attack from fellow British missionaries and organizations for his deviation from European cultural norms, Taylor’s life incarnated Peter’s cry, “Lord, save me! (14:30). In February of 1860 he wrote a letter to his sister, saying:
“If I had a thousand pounds China should have it—if I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! Not China, but Christ. Can we do too much for Him? Can we do enough for such a precious Saviour?”1
Historian Ruth Tucker described the effect of his radical faith and method:
“No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematized plan of evangelizing a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor.”2
Jesus’ ministry tour of the cities of Galilee runs thematically parallel to Joshua’s (Hebrew, “Yeshua”) conquest of the Land of Canaan. Israel was to enter the Land and trust YHWH to drive out the nations ahead of them, never “losing sight” of YHWH’s instructions, and obeying them carefully (Deut. 7-8). However, like Peter, Israel’s eyes were captivated by the “wind and the waves,” (14:30). Those raging nations would become the chaotic currents of exile and captivity that would “rise up to [Israel’s] neck,” (Ps. 69, 124). Yet, if our God is anything, He is first a Creator, then a Savior of His creation. Peter’s cry runs counter to majority Israel, who preferred the strength of the “mighty waters” (Ps. 144) to the extended hand of their Savior. But Peter, in his reckless trust and stumbling attempt to follow, lets out the characteristic cry of God’s faithful remnant. He would later use the prophet Joel’s words to describe God’s faithfulness to this multi-ethnic remnant, newly-filled with His Spirit: “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21). May we also recklessly dare to believe God’s word to us, follow as quickly as our failing feet will carry us, and not hesitate to cry out for salvation when we notice our attention drift away from the Savior.
Reflection:
- What step of faith is Jesus calling you to take?
- How can you keep your focus on Him amid life’s storms?
- How does this story inspire trust in His power?
- Art: Jesus walking on water, Armenian manuscript. By Daniel of Uranc – Donabédian, Patrick (1987) (in French) Les arts arméniens, Paris: Mazenod, p. 295 ISBN: 2850880175., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98280871
- Songs:
- “Oceans” – Hillsong
- “Faithful Now” – Vertical Worship
- “I Will Trust” – Red Rocks Worship
- Broomhall, Alfred (1983). Hudson Taylor and China’s Open Century: If I had A Thousand Lives. London: Hodder and Stoughton, accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Taylor ↩︎
- Tucker, Ruth (1983). From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-23937-0, accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Taylor ↩︎