GOD AND CRICKET

I always knew that God and cricket went together and now I have conclusive, unquestionable proof! There is no doubt now that the sublime and the divine are brothers. The connection? The life of C.T.Studd.

Born in 1860 in Northamptonshire, CT (as he is known to his friends!) played in the original test match against Australia in 1862. England lost the match and because it was such a disaster, the bails were cremated and put into that little urn that has been so keenly fought over (in cricketing terms) between the two countries ever since. (Just in case you don't know we won them last time, and the time before that!)

But CT Studd is remembered for more than that failure. His life was to prove so successful because he undertook incredible mission work in China and India. Travelling to China in 1885 with Hudson Taylor his life was devoted to reaching out to people with the good news of Jesus Christ not only in China but also for many years in India and what was, Belgian Congo. Reaching the people no one else was reaching with the name of Jesus. His life was overtaken by the compelling voice of Jesus who tells His followers to simply GO! And CT went.

Studd's mission was clear. He said, 'Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.' And that is exactly what he did.

What roused my interest in him was this quote from his biography;

'Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time for waiting is past! Should such men as we fear? Before the whole world, aye, before the sleepy, luke-warm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God...and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only in our God than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position the battle is already won and the end of the glorious campaign in sight. We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ.' (CT Studd Cricketer & Pioneer by Norman Grubb)

Masculine Holiness! That is fighting talk.

So it isn't only God and Cricket that go together, faith in and works for Jesus Christ also sit together in the challenges ahead for everyone, everyday, everywhere. The time for waiting is past, it's time to begin. As the cricket umpire would announce at the start of a day - 'Play!'