April, 1942
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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no might against this great company that cometh against us; n e i t h e r know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.” What Immediately followed this humble and fervent petition cannot fail to stir the heart: “And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, t h e i r w i v e s , and their children.” How unique, how impres sive—a whole nation gathered together un to God in prayer and fasting at a time of national crisis! And yet why should this be thought unique or strange, and not sim ply the natural atti tude for any nation to take which acknowl edges God and pro fesses to believe in and serve Him?
world - wide missions at the zenith of its opportunity and suc cess. For it has now become perfectly ob- viqus that the aggres sor powers — I refer not to the entire na tions involved but to the coteries of ,un scrupulous t y r a n t s within them who have usurped complete' au thority and control for the time—are ut terly unchristian and an tich rlstian , and that their aims in clude not only world conquest and domin ation politically but also the overthrow of true Christianity at home and of its prop agation throughout the world. Truly the Enemy has come in like a flood and is fiercely challenging and also
Machine Guns at the Gate A Word from CHARLES A. ROBERTS ■ OB 2,000 SOULS, suspense ond danger pressed hard against this Chinese gate. Here, too, while machine guns roared, a remark able victory was witnessed. The oc casion was last fall's four-day Jap anese occupation of Changsha, Hu nan, China. The stirring story is re ported by Charles A. Boberts, Super intendent of the Hunan Bible Insti tute, the China Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. The above photograph of the gateway to the large compound of the school was taken before the beginning of Japan's hostilities in China. v
threatening the very existence of our own and all other missionary work in China, as well as that of our sister "societies in other fields. From this point of view we face a prospect by no means bright, but black with clouds. How shall we encourage our hearts? Surely it must be in the blessed fact that "God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him,” and in taking our stand with Jehoshaphat and Judah, confess ing our own lack of the needed might and wisdom, and then adding, “but our eyes are upon thee.” God’s Response Promptly came God’s response to this attitude of trust and cry for help, bringing inexpressible comfort and joy and fresh cotfrage to that sorely tested company: “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's . . . Ye shall not need to fight in this bat tle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you . . . fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.” The battle had been theirs, against heavy odds and with every prospect of their suf- ferthg a disastrous defeat. But in re sponse to their cry of desperate need, God took over the burden of it, and now it is His battle, and He bids them - dismiss all fear and anxiety and go forward with full confidence, to “see the salvation of the Lord” wrought out for them. What a blessed ex change! How completely reversed the situation! Mark you, they still had [Continued on Page 132]
If o n l y the professedly Christian nations of today which are confronted with formidable forces of aggression would—their leaders and people to gether—follow the example of Jehosh- aphat and J u d a h , and give them selves to humble heart searching, con fession of personal and national sins, and united, earnest prayer for His in tervention and deliverance, what a wonderful demonstration of d i v i n e power might be witnessed? But, alas,' although it is true that there are many godly people in both the great English-speaking nations who have taken this attitude and given them selves to prayer, it cannot honestly be said that these nations as such have been humbled, have turned from their sinful and worldly ways, and have earnestly sought the Lord anew. And because of this, God cannot do for them what He is so able and willing to do. However, the chapter before us has its application also to the true people of the Lord, in every land and day, who face the assaults of strong and vindictive fo'es, whether spiritual or physical, which attempt to destroy their faith, rob them of their victorious testimony, or defeat their undertak. ings in Christian service. Particularly does the instance of this attack upon Judah, and of that nation’s manner of meeting it, fit the case of God’s mis sionary cause, and never more clearly and forcefully than at this very time, when it is certain beyond any ques tion that the great Adversary of Christ is working behind the scenes and has designed these wars of aggression as & staggering blow to the work of
When the Japanese troops entered the city in September, 1941, the Hunan Bible Institute's small staff of loyal Chinese servants, with' the staff of the China Inland Mission's Hudson Taylor Memorial Hospital and the Methodist Mission, two groups which had been using portions of the com pound, remained with Mr. Boberts to care for the refugees who flqcked to the gate. In all, about two thousand persons were sheltered within the walls. Mr. Boberts' story follows: "On September 26, a few of us watched a battle to the northeast of the city. This we could do from the top of our Milton Stewart Hall. But the bombing was too much for the Chinese, who had no planes with which to counterattack. And on the evening of September 27, the Japanese entered the city and the flag of the Bising Sun Was hoisted. At about 4 p. m. we heard rifle fire drawing near er to our district, which is known as the Leek Gardens. It was Chinese rear-guard action. [Cent, on P. 130]
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