Daily Devotion

“The whole city is visible from our very doorway, so every time we go out and come in, we are reminded of how vast this work is, and how utterly inadequate our own strength is to accomplish it.”

John Hu · The Story of the Fukien Mission of the Church Missionary Society

Scripture

Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Reflection

In 1863, from his doorstep on Wushishan, John Hu looked out over the entire city of Fuzhou, with its population of six hundred thousand spread out before his eyes. Every time he went out and came in, he was reminded: How vast the work, and how insufficient his own strength. When the Lord Jesus saw the harassed and helpless crowds, He first felt compassion, and then instructed His disciples to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers. Faced with overwhelming needs, the Lord's first response was not anxious overworking, but prayer driven by compassion. Who are the crowds that I see in my coming and going today?