Dear Subscriber,
In this month’s newsletter, Dr Patrick Fung recounts how Hudson Taylor, in a time of deep despondency, walked through the valley of the shadow of death.
The One Who Holds the Keys of Death
By Dr. Patrick Fung, Advisor of Half Crown Media, OMF Global Ambassador
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. (James 5:17)
Elijah was a courageous prophet who challenged 450 false prophets on Mount Carmel. He was fearless in the face of tremendous pressure. Yet, confronted with Jezebel’s threat to his life, Elijah was not only distressed and fearful but plunged into despair and depression. Elijah, a spiritual man, was a human being, even as we are. God’s servants are not always on the mountain tops; they also walk through the valleys of death. Even then, God is faithful — he never ever abandons His servants.
In 1867, in the city of Yangzhou, rumours spread that missionaries were responsible for the deaths of dozens of local infants. Anti-foreign sentiments quickly intensified in the city. A group of Yangzhou residents gathered outside the China Inland Mission premises and set the place on fire. Hudson Taylor’s wife, Maria, who was six months pregnant had to jump from the second floor to escape.
Later, the Viceroy Zeng Guofan investigated the Yangzhou Riot and stated, “although many infants died, there was no evil gouging out of eyes and hearts. The doctors and nannies were to blame, not the missionaries.” However, Hudson Taylor faced severe criticism from the British Consul-General for causing unrest. The matter raised such an intense reaction in the House of Lords that there was talk of ordering all missionaries to leave China to avoid disrupting trade.
Support for the CIM declined sharply after the Yangzhou Riot. Hudson Taylor was mentally and emotionally distressed. But to him, the greater pain was his own spiritual dryness and unsatisfactory pursuit of holiness. John McCarthy, a CIM missionary colleague in Hangzhou, brought the needed help right on time. McCarthy wrote to Taylor, “The Lord received is holiness begun; the Lord Jesus cherished is holiness advancing; the Lord Jesus counted on as never absent would be holiness complete. (Faith) is the chain which binds the soul to Christ… The barren branch becomes a portion of the fruitful stem.” Hudson Taylor responded, “I looked to Jesus and saw…and when I saw, oh, how the joy flowed!” Once again, he tasted the joy of “union with Christ”. Taylor shared with his fellow-workers the rest he now enjoyed, “God has made me a new man!” The renewal of his spirit was so profound that one historian referred to that day as “The Pentecost of Hudson Taylor and the CIM.”
The Yangzhou incident was not the only time Hudson Taylor experienced distress, discouragement, and spiritual dryness. During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, 58 CIM missionaries and 21 children were killed. When the unbearable news of the atrocities reached Hudson Taylor, he said, “I cannot read; I cannot think; I cannot even pray; but I can TRUST.”
Indeed, the journeys of both Elijah and Hudson Taylor were journeys of faith and trust. On our life journey, we may pass through dark valleys — yet we shall not fear. Indeed, our soul is bound to Christ, the First and the Last, the one who holds the keys of death.
Reference: Chang, I., et al., eds. Christ Alone: A Pictorial Presentation of Hudson Taylor’s Life and Legacy. Hong Kong: OMF Hong Kong, 2005.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025 PRAYER MEETINGS
Please find the date and time of our next English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and German prayer meetings below.
English Meeting: 22 October, 2025 at 8:00 AM Pacific Time / 11:00 AM Eastern Time
Cantonese Meeting: 30 October, 2025 at 4:00 PM Singapore Time
Mandarin Meeting: 30 October, 2025 at 7:30 PM Singapore Time
German Meeting: 3 November, 2025 at 20:00 Switzerland Time
For more information, feel free to contact us at info@halfcrownmedia.com.
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