RESTING, RESTING....

China: Hudson Taylor claimed it for Christ

An inspiring story about a hymn of the faith.

Sometimes in doing research for these blogs, I come across stories that cause me to push back from my desk and whisper, “God, You are awesome.” That happened recently when I decided to look up the story behind an old hymn, “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting.” Like many hymns swirling in my gray matter, it had “come back” to me as I work through the emotions of losing a spouse.

I don't have all the pieces to the background of the hymn, “Jesus, I am Resting, Resting,” but here's how it goes. About 1876, a 31-year-old Irish poet, Jean Sophia Pigott, penned some verses about trusting and resting in Jesus. An English pastor added music to it. Jean Pigott would die in 1882, and her survivors would include her brothers, missionaries to China under Hudson Taylor's ministry.

Somehow, sometime, a brother had apparently shared his sister's poem-turned-hymn with Taylor. A few years later, in 1901, the Chinese “Boxer Rebellion” erupted. Many of its participants were skilled in Chinese martial arts—also called “Chinese Boxing.” Eventually, the combatants turned against foreigners, including Christian missionaries. Jean's brothers Thomas and William were among more than 75 missionaries slain during the Chinese rebellions.

Greatly burdened by the unspeakable loss of his workers, Taylor reportedly found regular comfort from Jean Pigott's hymn when he sat down at his little organ to sing and worship.

Jean had written other poems, many compiled into a book titled “A Royal Service.” She died in Ireland at age 37—nearly two decades ahead of her missionary-brothers.

Learning the background of this gentle hymn—how it met a spiritual need years later following a crushing loss—helped me appreciate all the more God's planning and presence in leading and comforting His children.

Here's a You-tube sing-along to remind you of the hymn:

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