Relentless Faith: How the Life of Ann Judson Inspires Us to be Bold in Our Faith

When you think about someone who is relentless, what qualities come to mind? Is it someone who exhibits great strength? Someone who is constant or steady? Maybe someone with great persistence? Perhaps it’s a combination of all these things.

For me, I think of someone who is bold and who has unwavering strength in their pursuit of something. I think of someone who, despite whatever hardship may come their way, remains steadfast and immovable in their faith. I think of someone like Ann Judson, whose relentless faith in Jesus still impacts the world today.

Ann was the first American female overseas missionary who was relentless in her efforts to share Jesus with the people in Burma (now Myanmar) in the early 1800s. Ann and her husband Adoniram were trailblazers in their ministry work, pioneering much of the missionary movement there in Burma. Ann was passionate about educating women and desired to reach girls who were oppressed and lived in poverty.

Ann was not a woman content to sit on the sidelines of faith. She was always in action, looking for ways to minister to the people of Burma and share the gospel with them. But Ann’s life was also marked by a lot of hardship and grief. She endured the loss of all three of her children, multiple physical illnesses, and the wrongful imprisonment of Adoniram. Through it all, Ann never wavered in her mission. She had relentless faith.

Ultimately, Ann died when she was only in her late thirties, but the legacy of faith and missions she left behind continues to impact the world today.

Ann exemplified Hebrews 10:39, “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” The author of Hebrews gives us a call to persevere in the faith. It is a call to hold onto hope and to the assurance in the faithfulness and holiness of God.

Just like Ann, you and I will endure hardships and challenges in our lives. We may face an unexpected loss, a diagnosis, or a difficult situation, but those things will not destroy us because God is with us and for us. He is our refuge, comfort, and steady foundation for us in uncertain times.

Though marked by hardship and great trials, Ann used her difficult circumstances to fuel her passion for God and for His people. Her hardships became a part of a greater story of her walk with Christ. You and I have the same opportunity to let the difficulties we endure become part of a greater story of our faith.

We often think relentless faith comes after the storms of life have passed, but I have found quite the opposite to be true. I find it often comes in the midst of the storms and in the situations and circumstances that call us into a deeper relationship with our Creator. He is holding us. He has a plan, and He is trustworthy.

Now is not the time to shrink back. Now is the time for relentless faith.

For more on the life and legacy of Ann Judson Read: 

The Life and Significance of Ann Hasseltine Judson by Sharon James

or

The Extraordinary Life of Ann Hasseltine Judson: A Life Beyond Boundaries by Rosalie Hall Hunt.