The story of Lydia Prince shows us how one woman’s faith and trust in God can change many lives. Yet when God called her as a young, single woman to give up her career and comfortable life in Denmark to become a missionary in Israel, Lydia had no clue of His plans for her.
She would never have imagined herself one day running an orphanage in Jerusalem. But it was the Lord who brought the children to her, without any specific strategy by Lydia herself – except for radically trusting the Lord. That is the example she gave to her children, and, likewise, to us today.
God’s Love
In her personal testimony, Lydia recalls:
"I lived in a little basement room, and it didn’t take a long time before the people got to know that here was a missionary. They started to bring the children to me. It was not always easy, and sometimes I would simply take a child—maybe it hadn’t been God’s will. Many times, when they brought a child, I would forget to think and count my money. I would say, “Well, here is a need, and they need help.” So God made it in a way very easy for me to take a child in.”
“I thought that I loved the children and that’s why I should take them. Later, I got to see that it is the Lord that loves the children and that’s why He gave me the love for them.”
Over the years, Lydia cared for about seventy children – mostly girls. “They were brought in from the street,” Lydia remembered, “and I hardly knew who brought them. I remember one case when a man brought a child in, and before I even said that I would take it, he disappeared. I had to move from place to place. If one room wasn’t enough, I rented two rooms. And if two rooms weren’t enough, I had to take three rooms. That is how the work grew, little by little, according to my faith. Perhaps my faith hasn’t been very great, but at least I plunged along. And when we left Jerusalem, we had twenty-one rooms.”
Christian Homes
Lydia trained her children to trust God in whatever circumstances they were in. “We had very little money, and when the children grew, I shared with them about our situation. Then we would pray, and money would come in. So I told the children, “Now here, God has answered our prayer.” Here is something I think we need to have: real Christian homes. It is in the home Christianity shall be seen. I’m sorry to tell you that going to church doesn’t interest me nearly as much as seeing that Christ is the Ruler in the home. That He is the Head, that we have peace and harmony in our homes. That is where we can hear the voice of the Lord. And if we are at peace, the children will be peaceful. Why? Because no one feels the peace of God as a child.”
Your calling might be different from Lydia’s, but the Lord is the same. Our success and victories in life depend on trusting Him and obeying His will. That is why Lydia’s words are challenging us today:
“Walk with the Lord. Pray to the Lord. Give your heart to the Lord and He will use you. The whole earth needs you. Know that there is work that’s ready for you that you shall walk in. Say to yourself for sure, “If I don’t do the work, no one else will do it.” Because God has appointed you to a certain work, or a certain work to you. So pray to God and be willing to take up whatever He will have you to be. He may want you in your work to be a witness. He may want you to other places, but as Derek always said, “There is not a special mission field. The whole earth is a mission field.”
Let Lydia's legacy of faith inspire you today, reminding you that you, too, can make a difference in the world if you trust in God and obey His will.
