A Surrendered Life

Henry Martyn was a man who was terribly afflicted with warts. He had warts on his hands, on his body, warts on his face and across his eyebrows. Henry was able to identify with the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 53:

He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by.  He was despised, and we did not care.        (Isaiah 53:3)

Like the Suffering Servant, Henry was not beautiful to look at on the outside, but he had a beautiful spirit and a brilliant mind.   He was a Cambridge scholar, having graduated first among the honor students in his class.  His field was mathematics 

Henry loved to attend sporting events, but hid himself to avoid the pain and humiliation caused by the taunts of those who ridiculed him because of his appearance.  He was amazed when a young girl by the name of Lydia fell in love with him.

One day Henry was sitting in a worship service and the pastor was talking about missions in India. Henry sensed that God was calling him to the mission field. But when he went to Lydia and asked her what she thought about it she shocked him. "Absolutely not!" she declared, "I will not go to India!"
  

Henry begged and pleaded with her, but she would not budge. Yet, day by day God's call to India grew stronger deep within his heart. He thought he had a choice to make, either Lydia or India. But as he prayed about it the Lord made it clear that the decision wasn't between Lydia or India - it was between Lydia or GOD.

Henry chose to surrender his life to the call of God and go to India to share the good news of Jesus. Like the Apostle Paul he was beaten and placed in chains, but  he was determined to let his yes be "Yes!"

When he arrived in Calcutta in April 1806, he exclaimed, "Now let me burn out for God!"  He had little idea of how quickly the fire of God would consume him.  He died six years later at the age of 31.

But in the brief span of six years, Henry Martyn  translated the Bible into three languages - Hindustani, Persian, and Arabic, leaving a legacy that continues to this day.  Such is the power of a surrendered life!