“My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away” (Song of Solomon 2:10).
When aspiring missionary Adoniram Judson proposed to Ann Hasseltine in 1810, she said he would have to secure her parents’ approval. He therefore wrote her father, a deacon, asking for his blessing:
I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall resound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?
It would have been easy for Mr. Hasseltine and his wife to say no, but they left it up to their daughter. Ann admired Adoniram, but her decision was more spiritual than romantic. He had warned her of hardships she would experience if she married him. She struggled to decide.
The twenty-year-old wrote to a friend:
My mind has still been agitated for two or three weeks past….But I have, at all times, felt a disposition to leave it with God, and trust in him to direct me. I have, at length, come to the conclusion, that if nothing in providence appears to prevent, I must spend my days in a heathen land. I am a creature of God, and he has an undoubted right to do with me, as seemeth good in his sight. I rejoice that I am in his hands — that he is everywhere present, and can protect me in one place as well as in another. He has my heart in his hands; and when I am called to face danger, to pass through scenes of terror and distress, he can inspire me with fortitude, and enable me to trust in him. Jesus is faithful; his promises are precious. Were it not for these considerations, I should, with my present prospects, sink down in despair….But whether I spend my days in India or America, I desire to spend them in the service of God, and be prepared to spend an eternity in his presence. O Jesus, make me live to thee, and I desire no more.
Ann accepted Adoniram’s proposal, and the couple sailed off, offering their lives to the Lord. Trials pursued them throughout their ministry, but God blessed their efforts. Ann passed away at 36 and is buried under a tree in Burma.
God calls His children to obey. Sometimes that means going to some far-off place; other times witnessing in your home or workplace. Sometimes it means giving away hard-earned money to send others. Whatever God asks, we are to obey.
About the Columnist: Paul V. Harrison has pastored Madison FWB Church in Madison, Alabama since 2015. Previously, he pastored Cross Timbers FWB church in Nashville, Tennessee, for 22 years. He was an adjunct professor at Welch College for 17 years, teaching church history and Greek. Paul is the creator of Classic Sermon Index, a subscription-based online index of over 66,000 sermons, with clients including Harvard, Baylor, and Vanderbilt, among others: classicsermonindex.com.
