Daily Devotion

“Solitary is my situation. There may be one, but I know not of him, who loves our Lord Jesus Christ in this place. Yet, lonely as my situation is, the Bible and the precious Saviour it reveals, dear Tom, make me happy.”

Robert Morrison · Memoirs of the Life and Labours of Robert Morrison (1839), vol. 1, letter to his brother Tom, September 27, 1807

Scripture

John 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single seed; but if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Reflection

Robert Morrison's perseverance in solitude is the ultimate practice of the truth of "a single grain of wheat." We often yearn for life to be as vibrant as blooming flowers, yet fear being "buried" in the soil in loneliness, like wheat. When Morrison first arrived in China he knew of no one there who loved the Lord Jesus; his companions were the Bible and the Saviour it reveals. Yet it was because someone endured that initial solitude amid isolation and hostility that the gospel could take root in this hard soil. This "success doesn't have to be mine" mentality challenges the modern mentality of seeking immediate rewards. Reflecting on our lives, are we willing to be the "first" to break the deadlock in positions where no one applauds, or even where there is much resistance? True vitality often erupts from that silent time buried deep underground, unknown to others. The loneliness we endure now may be the very foundation of grace that allows others to draw nourishment and take root in the future.