When he was a young man in 1851, Taylor worked for a notoriously forgetful doctor who would often forget to pay his salary. On one of these occasions, Taylor was left with one single coin, a half crown coin.

That same evening, while Taylor was volunteering his time in a poverty-stricken neighbourhood, a young man approached him to ask him to come pray for his dying wife. This man and his wife lived with their six children and one baby in a squalid room. The family of nine was clearly underfed and had no money left. 

Taylor thought, “If only I had two shillings and a sixpence instead of this half-crown, how gladly would I give these poor people a shilling!” Just one shilling – about a third of the value of his half crown coin – could feed the family and save the woman’s life, and Taylor would still have funds left for his needs.

As Taylor prayed words of comfort over this family, he felt convicted of his hypocrisy and lack of faith for God’s provision if he was not willing to give up his last coin. By the end of the prayer, he felt compelled to give this family his half crown coin. He returned home penniless but filled with joy.

The next morning, a letter arrived for Taylor containing a half sovereign coin – worth four times the amount of his half crown coin. Taylor offered up his half crown coin, fully trusting God’s grace to provide.

From that day, Hudson Taylor deposited all his savings and earnings in God’s bank. “When I get out to China,” he said, “I shall have no claim on anyone for anything. My only claim will be on God.”