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Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor (1832–1905). Born on May 21, 1832, in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, to a Methodist chemist and lay preacher, Hudson Taylor was a British missionary, evangelist, and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Converted at 17 through his mother’s prayers and a tract, he committed to missionary work, studying medicine and Mandarin in London before sailing to China in 1853 with the Chinese Evangelisation Society. Disillusioned by coastal-focused missions, he adopted Chinese dress and ventured inland, founding CIM in 1865 to prioritize unreached areas without soliciting funds, relying on prayer. Taylor’s preaching led to thousands of conversions, establishing 300 mission stations and training 849 missionaries by 1905. Despite personal tragedies—losing his first wife, Maria Dyer, in 1870, four children, and second wife, Jennie Faulding, in 1904—he persevered, authoring China: Its Spiritual Need and Claims (1865) and Union and Communion (1894). Known for his motto “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply,” he inspired global missions. Taylor retired to Switzerland but returned to China, dying on June 3, 1905, in Changsha. He said, “God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him.”
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James Hudson Taylor delves into the concept of 'the joy of the LORD is your strength' from Nehemiah 8:10, exploring the different dimensions of this joy. He highlights that the joy of the Lord can be found in His existence, in His lordship over our lives, in the joy He imparts to us through His Spirit, and in His own joy that becomes our strength. Taylor emphasizes that the unchanging joy of the Lord, manifested in His redemption of His people, His presence within us, and His delight in us, is what truly strengthens us.
The Joy of the Lord
"...the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). What is the joy of the Lord? Is it joy that there is such a Lord? For we cannot realize His existence without joy. Or, is it joy that He is our Lord? For possession is a fruitful source of joy Or, again, is it joy that He has imparted to us, and shed abroad in our hearts by His Spirit? Or, lastly, is it His own joy which is our strength? We feel no doubt that, while all these sources of joy are ours, it is to the last of them that this passage specifically refers. John 15:11 refers to our Saviour's joy in fruit-bearing through His branches. It was His will that His joy might remain in them; and that consequently their joy might be full. Here we see the joy of the Lord distinguished from the joy of His people. In Hebrews 12:2, we have the joy of the Lord in the redemption of His people-joy to despise the shame and endure the cross. It was strength for self-sacrifice. In Zephaniah 3:17, we have the joy of the Lord in the possession of His purchased inheritance. Oh, how wonderful is this joy! "He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." It is the consciousness of the threefold joy of the Lord--His joy in ransoming us--His joy in dwelling within us as our Saviour and Power for fruitbearing--and His joy in possessing us, as His Bride and His delight; it is the consciousness of this joy which is our real strength. Our joy in Him may be a fluctuating thing: His joy in us knows no change.
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James Hudson Taylor (1832–1905). Born on May 21, 1832, in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, to a Methodist chemist and lay preacher, Hudson Taylor was a British missionary, evangelist, and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Converted at 17 through his mother’s prayers and a tract, he committed to missionary work, studying medicine and Mandarin in London before sailing to China in 1853 with the Chinese Evangelisation Society. Disillusioned by coastal-focused missions, he adopted Chinese dress and ventured inland, founding CIM in 1865 to prioritize unreached areas without soliciting funds, relying on prayer. Taylor’s preaching led to thousands of conversions, establishing 300 mission stations and training 849 missionaries by 1905. Despite personal tragedies—losing his first wife, Maria Dyer, in 1870, four children, and second wife, Jennie Faulding, in 1904—he persevered, authoring China: Its Spiritual Need and Claims (1865) and Union and Communion (1894). Known for his motto “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply,” he inspired global missions. Taylor retired to Switzerland but returned to China, dying on June 3, 1905, in Changsha. He said, “God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him.”