Adoniram Judson

One of my early New Years resolutions is to read more about Missionaries. My sister is a missionary and I thought it would be good to read about the lives of some older missionaries.
I have started with Adoniram Judson. I have only been reading stuff from the internet, but will try to find a book soon. Anyways. Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma in the early to mid 1800's. What an incredible testimony he has to TRULY believing in and grasping the sovereignty of God. He and his first wife, Ann, lost two children on the mission field. After the loss of their second child his wife Ann said this...

"Our hearts were bound up with this child; we felt he was our earthly all, our
only source of innocent recreation in this heathen land. But God saw it
was necessary to remind us of our error and to strip us of our only little
all. O, may it not be vain that He has done it. May we so improve it
that He will stay His hand and say...'it is enough.'"

There is no need to expound on that statement. My words would be inept.
Adoniram Judson was imprisoned for 21 months. His wife Ann was instrumental in pleading for his release. She also died not to long after his release.
Adoniram married again...suffered the loss of more children...experienced the life of children as well...then bore the pain of losing another wife.
He then married again. He married a writer that he had commissioned to write a book about his second wife. They had two children. The first one lived...the second one died at birth, 3 weeks after Judson died.

I look forward to reading much more about the life and ministry not only of Adoniram, but that of his wives as well. Any woman that can write such a statement while living in Burma and losing two children, I think is someone worth reading about.
John Piper stated on this subject that he preaches to produce mothers like that and that he fears there are too few. Am I a mother like that? I don't know. I've never lost a child. But I don't think I have to lose a child to be the kind of wife and mother that is reaching for God's truth and trying to rest in His sovereignty.

Late in Adoniram Judsons life he said this...

"If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by
infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated
suffering."

That certainly begs the question in my life..."Do I recognize the trials in my life as those from an infinitely loving and merciful God?"
If I don't recognize them as such, then where is my hope? John Piper goes on to say in the same sermon about the Judsons, that he wants to build a fence around the sovereignty of God. So which side of the fence do I fall on?
I have two choices...recognize God's sovereignty in every aspect of my life, or don't. I rejoice in God's sovereignty when I have a good day. I am thankful for his provision for that day. I am thankful when unexpected money arrives to pay an over due bill. On those days it's easy to praise God for his sovereignty. But on the days when I can't pay that over due bill am I still trusting in God's sovereignty.
God is not going to sprinkle me with sovereign dust and suddenly I accept what life is throwing me. I have to choose to believe, as His child, that every trial is from His hand of infinite love and mercy. That is a much better option than to just not know why. I don't have to understand, I just need to know God is loving and merciful. Then I need to praise Him in that.

Well, I am going to enjoy learning more about Adoniram Judson and his wives. I look forward to learning what God will teach me through these studies. If any of you want to study with me, come on! And if you have any ideas on who I should study next, let me know.