The Supply

This article first appeared in The Ultimate Conquest: Reflections on the Life & Legacy of Hudson Taylor from FAI Publishing

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”
– Hudson Taylor

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
– The Apostle Paul[1]

Hudson Taylor’s fundraising strategy before and during his leadership over the China Inland Mission was built on an inverted logic; for Taylor, the issue wasn’t really about raising money. It was about radical trust.

As followers of Jesus, we share a common belief that the Lord bears responsibility for supplying all that is needed to accomplish everything He wants to do. This belief is not, at its root, a financial principle. It is a life principle. For those whose hearts are set upon the frontier of world missions, it could be a matter of life and death. We need God to be faithful.

The faithfulness of God was the foundation upon which J. Hudson Taylor built his life, his work, his family and his ministry. It sounds so basic and juvenile. But the reality is we often question God’s faithfulness. Is God really willing and able to supply our needs? We often ring our hands in anxiety when we don’t have the funds we need for the trip, the project, the bills...the life.

Hudson Taylor, like all of us, knew he had to confront this lack of trust at an early juncture lest it become an insurmountable obstacle. He was called by God to spend his life in China (one might even say that was a settled matter before he was born). But his ability to live into that call with an “undivided heart” was dependent on developing a mature theology of the faithfulness of God.

The policies and principles that would eventually carry Taylor back and forth to China throughout his life were tested and proved, not as a missionary in China, but as a young man in England.

“I thought to myself, When I get out to China, I shall have no claim on any one for anything; my only claim will be on GOD. How important, therefore, to learn before leaving England to move man, through GOD, by prayer alone.”[2]

Believing that God would provide when the nearest supporter was months away was not

first tested in the interior of remote China, but in relative proximity to his hometown.

Hudson Taylor put his faith on trial as a young employee working for an absent-minded doctor who simply could not remember to compensate young Hudson on pay day. This was part of Taylor’s job. Remind the doctor to pay him. Simple enough. But instead, Taylor used this bump in his financial road as a chance to test his spiritual fitness. Taylor simply prayed that God would do the reminding. And miraculously, this worked. Not to perfection and not without trial. But Taylor remained deeply committed to his need to bolster his faith in God’s faithfulness. The question must be answered: could God really move people through prayer and through prayer alone?

“It was to me a very grave matter, however, to contemplate going out to China, far away from all human aid, there to depend upon the living GOD alone for protection, supplies, and help of every kind. I felt that one’s spiritual muscles required strengthening for such an undertaking. There was no doubt that if faith did not fail, GOD would not fail; but, then, what if one’s faith should prove insufficient? I had not at that time learned that even if we believe not, He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself; and it was consequently a very serious question to my mind, not whether He was faithful, but whether I had strong enough faith to warrant my embarking in the enterprise set before me.”[3]

If you read the many biographies and accounts of Taylor’s formative years in England, prior to setting sail for China, you will notice a growing inner resolve that the Lord would, in fact, meet his needs, but in God’s own way—in God’s own timing.

On one occasion (his absent-minded employer had, yet again, forgotten payday) Taylor gave his last remaining coin to a family in deep need. He fought an intense inner battle, but he ultimately provided that family with much more than they needed at his own personal expense. He went home that night hungry and penniless but deeply convinced that he had not acted foolishly. You can almost sense the joy and fire in Taylor’s recollection:

“I well remember how that night, as I went home to my lodgings, my heart was as light as my pocket. The lonely, deserted streets resounded with a hymn of praise which I could not restrain. When I took my basin of gruel before retiring, I would not have exchanged it for a prince’s feast. I reminded the LORD as I knelt at my bedside of His own Word, that he who giveth to the poor lendeth to the LORD: I asked Him not to let my loan be a long one, or I should have no dinner next day; and with peace within and peace without, I spent a happy, restful night.

Next morning for breakfast my plate of porridge remained, and before it was consumed the postman’s knock was heard at the door. I was not in the habit of receiving letters on Monday, as my parents and most of my friends refrained from posting on Saturday; so that I was somewhat surprised when the landlady came in holding a letter or packet in her wet hand covered by her apron. I looked at the letter, but could not make out the handwriting. It was either a strange hand or a feigned one, and the postmark was blurred. Where it came from I could not tell. On opening the envelope I found nothing written within; but inside a sheet of blank paper was folded a pair of kid gloves, from which, as I opened them in astonishment, half-a-sovereign fell to the ground. ‘Praise the LORD!’ I exclaimed; ‘400 percent for twelve hours investment; that is good interest. How glad the merchants of Hull would be if they could lend their money at such a rate!’ I then and there determined that a bank which could not break should have my savings or earnings as the case might be—a determination I have not yet learned to regret. I cannot tell you how often my mind has recurred to this incident, or all the help it has been to me in circumstances of difficulty in after-life. If we are faithful to GOD in little things, we shall gain experience and strength that will be helpful to us in the more serious trials of life.”[4]

Yet even still, Taylor recognized that money could easily become his master. He saw it in the missions organizations that predominated the landscape of nineteenth century English Christianity. The answer to the question, “Whom shall I send?” was all too often, “Send the one who can secure the financing.” That often meant borrowing money from English banks to finance foreign missions. And when the banks cut off the cash flow the work shut down as well.

This made no sense to a young and highly idealistic Taylor. How could God’s work be contingent on a bank? He knew that God was more than enough in England. This much was settled in his heart. But what about China? Could he live out this same trust far from the financial reach of his friends and family?

Eventually, this conviction led Taylor to leave the relatively safe confines of the Chinese Evangelization Society (CES; Taylor’s sending agency for six years) and start the China Inland Mission. He left on good terms, but the organizing principles that marked CIM made clear that Hudson Taylor was pioneering a new day in modern missions. His approach would later be called “Faith Missions,” and missiologists dubbed Hudson Taylor the “Father of Faith Missions.”[5]

Nevertheless, Hudson Taylor was no prosperity theologian. Often times CIM experienced underfunding or even no funding at all. How does that wash with God supplying God’s work? It’s actually rather simple. Taylor simply trusted God in plenty and in want according to the promise in Philippians 4:19.[6] If money didn’t come in, that was a sign of God’s suspended approval or disapproval. When the money didn’t show up, the project was put on hold or even canceled entirely. Taylor wasn’t afraid to test his faith and fail. God could be trusted. Period. Even trusted to provide correction when CIM missed the target.

Taylor insisted that all of CIM would live by faith, which meant looking to God, not only for the money, but also for the people and the places to do the work.

“I am now in the act of arranging for the eventual opening up of the whole of this province to the Gospel as the Lord gives us men, open doors, and means. Pray for these three things.”[7]

Here are a few CIM distinctives, many of which exist to this day:

• Missionaries were discipled to primarily look to God for their needs, not the organization.

• No solicitation of funds. This was the organizational equivalent of not reminding the absent-minded boss on payday.

• Taylor absolutely refused to borrow money, even when funding was critically low.

• Cash on hand was used first to pay outstanding bills, the missionaries shared what was left over.

• When money was tight, everyone tightened their belt—from the newest recruit, to the Director of CIM.[8]

Perhaps the greatest test of Hudson Taylor’s faith came when Dr. William Parker asked the China Inland Mission to take responsibility for his hospital in Ningpo because his wife died suddenly back in Scotland. With fifty plus new inpatients per day, and a pharmacy that served the city, the running of the hospital was no small endeavor. To complicate matters, the primary support for the hospital was Dr. Parker’s private practice in Ningpo. When he left for Scotland, his financial support necessarily left with him. To frame the context, it would take five months to get word of the need back to England, then time to spread the message, and then another five months to get any financial support back to China.

Taylor sought God’s counsel through zealous prayer. Once he had his answer, he agreed to take over the hospital, “relying solely on the faithfulness of a prayer-hearing God to furnish means for its support.”[9] Taylor then expanded his appeal to heaven by calling the CIM prayer team to focused intercession. That team was quick to remind him one of his recurrent teaching themes: God is a real Father who would never forget his children’s needs.

It did not take long for Dr. Parker’s funds to be completely spent and Taylor’s own supplies were running low. Word reached the patients that the hospital was running out of money. The concern was great. Taylor’s response was to double down in prayer. Days passed with no answer. Then, serious news came from the hospital’s cook, Kuei-hui: “The last bag of rice has been opened and it’s disappearing rapidly!”

At that moment, you can imagine both the urgency of the hour and all of the early stories of God’s faithfulness sweeping over Hudson Taylor in a wave of holy remembrance as he told Khei-hui, “Then the Lord’s time for helping us must be close at hand.”[10]

And in that response, we have insight into the essence of J. Hudson Taylor. His core value was that God, as a loving Father, always responds to his children’s needs.

However, God the Father is not bound by the timeline of His children. He does not often show up early. But He is never too late.

Before that last bag of rice was finished, a letter arrived for Taylor that was among the most extraordinary he ever received. In the letter from a Mr. Berger in the U.K. was a check for fifty pounds — when you factor in cost of living increases, purchasing power and average earning growth, this check would be the equivalent of $30,000–$50,000 today.

The letter that accompanied the check might have meant even more to the long-term needs of the hospital than the check. Berger’s father had just passed away, leaving a large inheritance. Mr. Berger explained that he didn’t want the inheritance for himself. He wanted it to be used for Kingdom purposes. He asked if Taylor could use more? Would Taylor pray about where he could use regular support from Mr. Berger?

Of course, this man in England had no way of knowing about the last bag of rice or the urgent needs of a hospital located in the interior of China. The letter was sent five months earlier! But God knew the need months before Hudson Taylor prayed for help. When the patients at Ningpo Hospital learned about the faithfulness of the Christian God, they were absolutely amazed.

“Where is the idol that can do anything like that?” some said. “Have they ever delivered us from our troubles or answered prayer like this?”

When Hudson Taylor returned back to England to communicate his God-sized vision to see an evangelistic team in every providence of China, he encountered skepticism. When one man doubted God would really provide for such a massive vision, Taylor replied:

“I am taking my children with me and I notice it is not difficult to remember that they need breakfast in the morning, dinner at midday and supper at night. Indeed I could not forget them if I tried. And I find it impossible to think that our heavenly Father is less tender and mindful of His children than I, a poor earthly father, am of mine. No, He will not forget us.”[11]

Friend, he will not forget you.

Perhaps you are feeling like you are down to your “last bag of rice” even as you read this essay. Low on faith, finances, hope, or even life itself. If so, look back and remember his faithfulness. He cannot forget you.

Lift your head to heaven and proclaim, “The Lord’s time for helping me must be close at hand!”

Hudson Taylor was invited into a lifelong journey of trusting God to supply his every need. He accepted the invitation, matured in it, and applied it to his life and the life of the China Inland Mission.

The Lord offers us the same invitation today.

[1] Philippians 4:19 ESV
[2] J. Hudson Taylor, A Retrospect.
[3] ibid.
[4] ibid.
[5] The moniker “Father of Faith Missions” could be ascribed to a number of pioneering missionaries. I would argue that no missionary, other than Jesus, has a greater claim to this title than J. Hudson Taylor.
[6] “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
[7] A.J. Broomhall, The Shaping of Modern China: Hudson Taylor’s Legacy (Kindle Location 36213). Piquant. Kindle Edition.
[8] J. Herbert Kane, “The Legacy of J. Hudson Taylor.” Accessed from http:// www.internationalbulletin.org/issues/1984-02/1984-02-074-kane.pdf
[9] J. Hudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret. London: China Inland Mission, 1935.
[10] Mark Ellis, “Hudson Taylor’s Last Bag of Rice.” Accessed from https:// blog.godreports.com/2013/07/hudson-taylors-last-bag-of-rice/
[11] ibid.