In June 1849, something happened that defies every rational explanation. A mother locked herself in a room to pray. Fifty miles away, at that exact moment, her teenage son gave his life to God.
The Afternoon in the Locked Room
Amelia Taylor had carried a burden for her son Hudson for months. He was seventeen, restless, intellectually curious but spiritually indifferent. That afternoon in June, something shifted inside her. She felt a weight to pray that wouldn't let her go.
She told the household she would not be disturbed, locked the door, and began praying for Hudson's salvation. She stayed there for hours. She wouldn't leave until she had what she later described as a certainty — a settled knowing that her prayer had been answered.
The Tract in the Warehouse
Fifty miles away, at that same time, Hudson was bored. He wandered into his father's warehouse looking for something to read. He picked up a gospel tract — planning to read the story part and skip the sermon. But a phrase caught him: "the finished work of Christ." He couldn't let it go.
Right there, in a dusty warehouse, Hudson Taylor surrendered his life to God.
The Moment She Already Knew
Two weeks later, Hudson came home to tell his mother the news. Before he could finish, Amelia stopped him. "I already know," she said. "I've been rejoicing for two weeks."
She knew. Not because anyone told her. Because she'd felt it in that locked room the moment it happened.
What This Means for You
Hudson Taylor went on to found the China Inland Mission and brought the gospel to millions across inland China. It started in a locked room with a mother who wouldn't stop praying. There is something about parental prayer that operates outside the normal rules of time and distance.